Sengoku Shaman
by Tsubasa8
Summary: Who would have thought that going to a local shrine would result in a lot more happening than expected? Shaman King/InuYasha crossover
1. Visit to the Shrine

Me: Whee! A Shaman King/InuYasha crossover fanfiction from me! I... really don't know where I'm going with this story. I felt like doing one after I read "When Two Worlds Collide" by Tohma's Sleepless Beauty, and this is what I came up with.

Disclaimer: "Shaman King" is property of Hiroyuki Takei, TV Tokyo, Viz, etc.   
"InuYasha" is property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise, Yomiuri TV, Viz, etc.

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Chapter 1: A Visit to the Shrine

"Anna, why do we have to look at all these shrines?" Yoh was griping behind his fiancée. Anna, Yoh, and Manta were walking all over Tokyo, visiting various shrines for Anna to inspect. Yoh and Manta were, needless to say, tired from all the walking, and wanted to rest already.

"I told you, I'm trying to decide which would be the most appropriate to visit after New Years," Anna answered him in her usual tone without turning around.  
  
"But aren't we going back to Izumo for New Years? Why do you want to come to one of these shrines?"  
  
Anna stopped suddenly in her tracks, causing Yoh and Manta to freeze in panic. They expected her to come at them, cold and icy – and scary. A brief moment of tense silence settled between them. She didn't move, but simply spoke from where she was.  
  
"I thought you would have liked going out to a shrine with your friends after New Years," she said, her expressionless voice intact.  
  
Yoh and Manta blinked at her.  
  
"Eh?" Yoh still had that slightly surprised look on his face. "Anna..." His features began to soften.  
  
"Of course, if you don't want to, that's fine with me. We can go home right now and continue your training." Anna turned on her heel to go back home when Yoh stopped her.  
  
"N-no! It's fine, we'll keep looking with you!" Yoh put up his hands and attempted to smile at her. Anna glanced at him for a second. She turned back around to continue onwards with her shrine inspection. Yoh and Manta exchanged content expressions with one another.  
  
After a couple of minutes of more walking, they reached their next destination – Higurashi Shrine. They passed the entranceway and went up the steps leading to the area, and through the second red tori above them.  
  
"These shrines are beginning to look the same," Manta said as he surveyed the area. They began crossing over towards the shrine building. "Is there anyone here?"  
  
As if on cue, an elderly man with a beard and mustache came bursting out of the house. "Oh, visitors!" he chirped as he saw the three there. "Hello, there!" he greeted as he came up to them. "Is there anything you need help with?"  
  
Er... would you mind showing us around your shrine?" Manta asked him politely.  
  
"Around the shrine?" the priest echoed. "Of course, follow me!" He led them over to a booth. "This is where we sell our prized charms," he said rather proudly, showing them the display. "And this..." he reached over behind the counter, "is our special exclusive charm!" He held up a keychain with a light magenta sphere hanging at the bottom. "Now this is the Shikon no Tama," he pointed at the jewel, "and it..."  
  
- - -  
  
"Aaaaugh!!!" A young girl dressed in a green and white school uniform, was stomping about her room. She had just gotten home when something leaped out of her bag, scaring the wits out of her.  
  
"How the heck did this rat youkai follow me here!?" she screeched as she watched it run around her room from atop her bed. "Grr... I've got to do something about this..." Spotting a jar on her desk nearby, she grabbed it and proceeded to chase the rat youkai around with it. "Come here, you!" She ensued, trying to trap the youkai in the bottle. It took about five minutes of running around the room ramming into things before she finally caught it. Once she got it inside, she snapped the lid over the opening.

Sighing, she collapsed onto her bed with fatigue. She brought the jar to her face so she could see the rat youkai, trying desperately to get out. "I can't just leave it here," she mused to herself. "I guess I'll have to go back and drop it off now." She sighed again, and heaved herself off her bed. Before leaving, she grabbed her bag, just in case.  
  
- - -  
  
After the charms, the priest showed off the wishing area to Yoh, Anna, and Manta. He seemed quite enthusiastic for someone just illustrating the usual points of a shrine. Afterwards, he carried them around the building, showing off each section such as the main area, the storage room...  
  
"Um... this is all very interesting Higurashi-sama, but is there anything else other than these things that set your shrine apart from others?" Manta asked him.  
  
The priest turned around slowly, a sharp look in his eyes. "Heh, heh, heh..." he chuckled, startling Yoh and Manta slightly. "Oh, I've got something." He led them outside, Manta still feeling uneasy. When they stopped, they found that he had taken them to the front of a great tree.  
  
"This is Goshinboku," he told them proudly. They looked up at the towering tree. There certainly was something about it. Yoh and Anna could sense a great spiritual energy surrounding it. It was odd though... "This tree has been here for hundreds of years in this same spot, and..."  
  
"Grandpa!"  
  
The priest looked up to see his granddaughter run out of the house. "Eh? What is it, Kagome?"  
  
"Mom wants you to come in and help her with something!" she replied loudly.  
  
"What? But I've got visitors here!"  
  
"Well you tell her that! I've got to go back and take care of some business!"  
  
"Ahh..." Kagome's grandfather sighed dejectedly. He turned his gaze back to the three thirteen year-olds in front of him. "Um, can you wait here just a bit for me – just while I go take care of this?"  
  
"Sure," Manta answered on their behalf.  
  
"Alright, thanks." With that, he took off towards the Higurashi's house. They watched him leave until he went inside.  
  
"Hey, Anna..." Yoh turned to face his fiancée, but found that she was looking in another direction. "Eh?" Yoh followed her gaze. She was watching Kagome as she entered a small shed across from them. "Anna?" Yoh questioned the girl next to him. Anna didn't say anything, but merely started walking in Kagome's direction. "Eh – Anna?" Yoh blinked at her. She continued to walk, so Yoh began to follow her. Manta too joined them when he realized that they were leaving him behind. "Anna, what are you doing?"  
  
"Following that girl," she said evidently.  
  
"Er – yeah, but why?"  
  
"Didn't you feel it? A strong sense of spiritual energy is all around her."  
  
"Eh..." Yoh thought back.  
  
"It's true, Yoh-dono," Amidamaru said as he appeared next to the others.  
  
"Amidamaru?" Yoh said questionly.  
  
"But she lives at a shrine, so doesn't it make sense?" Manta chimed in.  
  
"Her energy is different," Anna added. "Plus..." Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru listened intently. "There's something else with her." Anna walked into the place Kagome had gone into, finding that she hadn't gone anywhere – as it should have been.  
  
"Eh?" Kagome had a hand on the ledge of the well, about to jump in when the three walked in on her. "W-what are you kids doing here?"  
  
"You're not that much older than us," Anna said impassively. "Don't call us kids."  
  
Kagome blinked at her apprehensively. "Erm... well, you still shouldn't be here, so..."  
  
"What kind of person are you?" Anna asked her abruptly.  
  
"W-what?" Kagome had no idea what she meant by that.  
  
"You have strong spiritual energy all around you. It's weird – are you a Miko?"  
  
This stunned Kagome briefly. 'W-who is this girl?'  
  
Anna began walking down the stairs. "Also, what's that thing you've got with you?" This really shocked Kagome. "It certainly doesn't seem like a human or animal." She stood in front of her. "It's too demonic."  
  
Kagome leaned up against the well. "L-look, I don't know what you're talking about, but my grandpa should be back for you guys soon, and – ah!" She felt the rat demon jerk in her backpack, pulling her backwards. Instinctively, Kagome grabbed onto Anna's arm to try and prevent herself from falling in. Instead, she only succeeded in pulling her down with her.  
  
"Anna!" Yoh ran down to them, grabbing onto Anna's other arm to try and stop them from plummeting. "Er..." Yoh groaned; they're combined weight being hard for him to hang on to. Manta came down to help too, but it didn't make much of a difference as all four of them plunged downwards.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Me: Um... I think there was OOC-ness and stuff (I really don't think Anna would go and stalk Kagome)... I don't think it's that good. I had problems trying to figure out how the SK characters would react to any "spiritual energy" at the shrine and stuff too.  
  
Er... I really just wanted to get started on this, so I don't know what'll happen next or when I'll even get back to it. [Eh heh heh...] I wanted to put the other "Shaman King" characters in somewhere, but I don't how to do that as of yet.  
  
Well, feel free to leave a review, but no flames thanks.


	2. Who are You and Where are We?

Me: Chapter two is finally here! I've been having major writers block for my fanfictions, but I finally managed to do the second chapter for this one! Yay!

Disclaimer: "Shaman King" is property of Hiroyuki Takei, TV Tokyo, Viz, etc.

"InuYasha" is property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise, Yomiuri TV, Viz, etc.

The Sengoku Jidai explanation is from "TheFreeDictionary(dot)com"

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Chapter 2: Who are You and Where are We?

"Yoh, get off of me!"

"Ah – Anna! I'm sorry!"

SLAP!

"Yoh-kun!"

"_Gyahh_..."

These were the odd noises heard coming from a lone well, in an era that at least one of the other travelers were familiar with.

"Yoh-kun, are you alright?" Manta was hunched over his Shaman friend, who was knocked out with his cheek throbbing.

"He'll be fine," Anna grumbled as she picked herself up from the ground.

Off to the side was a fifteen year-old girl, kneeling down in the corner with her back to the others. 'Oh, great... Now what do I do? If I drag them up the well they'll know we're somewhere else... I can't believe this is happening...'

"Hey, you."

Kagome tensed as she knew very well that that familiar voice was directed to her. She turned around slowly, to see the same girl she had been approached by before they all fell down the well.

"What's going on?"

"W-what do you mean? We just fell down the well."

Anna's eyes narrowed. "Don't give me that. If we merely fell down the well, then what was all that blue light about?"

"Erm... ah..." Kagome tried futilely to think up a clever answer to that.

"Look, how about you stop lying and start telling the truth?" Anna crossed her arms.

"Uh..." Kagome sighed in defeat. "Alright – first, let's get out of this well." She grasped onto one of the vines growing on the inside of the well, and proceeded to clamber up it.

"Ugh..." Anna glanced back to see Yoh beginning to recuperate from his injury. "I'll never get used to that..." Manta laughed a little at his comment. "Eh?" Yoh looked up to see Kagome about halfway up the well.

BAM!

"OW! ANNA!" Yoh covered his head with his hands. "I wasn't looking up her skirt!"

"You're that same perverted kid I met three years ago, aren't you?" Anna glared at him.

"I told you I wasn't!" Yoh protested.

Their voices echoed up the well to reach Kagome's ears. 'Moh...' She pulled herself up out of the well and looked back down. "Climb on up!" she shouted to them.

Seeing as how annoyed Anna was right now, Yoh and Manta took it upon themselves to go up first. Yoh grabbed onto one of the vines and started scaling the well wall. Manta found this feat to be more difficult than it was for Yoh – with his short arm span, it was hard to grab onto anything.

"Ah... this is difficult..." Manta groaned. They were about two thirds of the way up the well.

"Here, I'll help you," Yoh reached out a hand to Manta.

"Thanks, Yoh-kun," Manta greatly appreciated the offer. "I can't believe how easy this is for you to do."

"Heh, heh. If Anna saw me struggling, she would only increase my training," Yoh said as he helped his friend up.

"I can hear you, you know," a cool voice came down from below.

"Erk!" the two boys tensed.

As soon as they both came out, Kagome heard familiar voices call out to her. She saw her friends from the feudal era running up to her.

"Kagome!" Shippo cried once they came up to her.

"I see Inuyasha was right," Miroku said as he observed Yoh and Manta.

"Right?" Kagome blinked. "About what?"

"He said that he sensed your smell when you came through the well, but he also smelled other unfamiliar scents with you," Sango explained.

"Yeah, but I could tell they were only human," Inuyasha said airily.

"What do you mean, _only_ human?"

The group started when they heard a voice from behind. They whirled around to see Anna, her arms folded across her chest, standing prominently in front of the well.

"Gyah! When did she come up the well?" Manta spluttered.

The young Itako strode over to Inuyasha. She stopped in front of him, and fixed her cold eyes on the hanyou. Inuyasha looked taken aback, his brow furrowed into a confused expression. The others looked on, wondering what in the world she was going to do. Quite abruptly, she reached up and grabbed one of Inuyasha's ears and yanked down on it.

"OW!" Inuyasha cried out in pain. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Hmm..." Anna let go after briefly examining Inuyasha's ear. "They're real."

"Of course they're real!" Inuyasha was tending to his sore ear.

"So that makes you a demon."

The Kagome and the others eyes widened. This girl had figured out that Inuyasha was not fully human. Her straight face made them wonder why she wasn't surprised though. Wouldn't any other person be?

"Er... actually, Inuyasha isn't really a demon," Kagome interjected. "He's half human."

"Hm..." Anna didn't seem phased at all. "I thought it was something like that."

Inuyasha growled at Anna's presumptuousness. "Just who are you!?" he snapped at her.

Anna glanced at him. "Itako no Anna."

"Itako?" the others echoed.

"What's an Itako?"

"I'll answer that one!" Manta piped up voluntarily. "An Itako is a traditional Japanese Shaman, whom can form links between the physical and the spiritual worlds – a spirit medium who can summon spirits from just about _anywhere_."

Manta's explanation seemed to stun the others. "A – Shaman?"

Manta whipped out his Mantannian Dictionary, opening up to the definition of a 'Shaman'.

"In animistic religions, a person who communicates with (or is possessed by) Gods, spirits and the dead using magic to cure illness, foretell the future, and influence events. By entering a special trance to borrow these spirits' powers, Shamans act as medicine men, guides, or mediums, forming links between the physical and the spiritual worlds. In ancient times, they were the centers of society, and still are in some cultures today."

"Er... oh..." the others merely blinked at him.

Manta proudly snapped his dictionary shut.

"You still carry that thing around?" Yoh looked down at his friend.

"Of course!" Manta grinned.

"So..." Miroku trailed off in thought. "A Shaman is sort of like... a Miko or a Priest."

"I suppose you could say that," Yoh grinned.

"Excuse me," Anna intervened. "I thought," she turned to Kagome, "you were going to tell us where we were."

"Yoh-dono!" Amidamaru appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Amidamaru's sudden appearance made Kagome and the others do a double take.

"What?" Anna looked at them. "Don't tell me you couldn't sense him."

"Er... it's just that... I wasn't expecting that," Kagome responded, still a bit shocked.

"You guys can see him?" Manta said, wide-eyed. They nodded.

"Heh, heh!" Yoh chuckled. "Of course! It's like my grandpa said – only good people can see ghosts. So Amidamaru... what was it you wanted to say?"

"Oh, yes – of course!" Amidamaru had gotten slightly sidetracked. "It's just, this area... it reminds me of the time when I was alive."

"Eh?" Yoh's eyes widened. "Does that mean... you're alive somewhere in this era?"

Manta looked from Amidamaru to Kagome. "What time _are _we in?"

"Oh... well... this is the Sengoku Jidai," she told him.

"The Sengoku Jidai!?" Manta's eyes boggled.

"The Sengoku Jidai?" Yoh repeated.

Manta turned. "Don't tell me you don't know what that is!!"

"Hmm..." Yoh seemed to be thinking.

"Yoh-kun..." Manta droned feebly.

"Humph..." All eyes were on Anna. "The Sengoku Jidai was a period of long civil war in the history of Japan that spanned through the middle fifteenth to the early seventeenth centuries. It started in the late Muromachi period in 1467 with the Onin War, lasting through the entire Azuchi-Momoyama period, until final peace and order was achieved in 1615 of the Edo period." She looked at Yoh. "If you paid attention Yoh, you would know that."

Everyone there was stunned at Anna's knowledge.

'Even I don't remember all that...' Kagome and Manta thought meagerly.

"So," Anna continued, "that would mean that Amidamaru has been long dead by now, seeing as how he died in 1411, yet the Sengoku Jidai didn't start until 1467."

"Ouh..." Yoh, Amidamaru, and Manta clapped while the others looked as stunned as ever.

"I guess that's why I'm still here," Amidamaru said to Yoh.

"Yeah," he smiled. "I'm glad for that though."

"Yoh-dono..." Amidamaru got all teary-eyed.

"So..." Manta started speaking to Kagome. "Why do you come here to the Sengoku Jidai? And why does the well back at your shrine lead here?"

"Oh, well... that's a long story," Kagome rubbed her arm nervously.

Anna gazed up at a trail of smoked leading upwards into the sky. "Then I suppose we should sit somewhere to hear it." Anna walked past Kagome and the others, appearing to be heading for Kaede's village.

"Gah – what the!?" Inuyasha wanted to say something to her, but he wasn't sure what would work on this girl. "What's with her!?" he scowled to no one in particular.

Yoh and Manta grinned weakly. "She's just Kyôyama Anna."

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Me: So, not much happened, but there'll be more to come next chapter. I guarantee it!


	3. The More the Messier

Me: Yes, the third chapter is up! Mwahaha! [cough] Excuse me. Well, here it is, and it's extra long for you reading pleasure!

Thank you so much to all my reviewers; and to DeathAngel2005 about the other characters... well why don't you read on and find out?

Disclaimer: "Shaman King" is property of Hiroyuki Takei, TV Tokyo, Viz, etc.

"InuYasha" is property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise, Yomiuri TV, Viz, etc.

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Chapter 3: The More the Messier

Everyone was at Kaede's home, sitting around inside. Kagome and the others had just about finished explaining their stories, and were now waiting for a reply from the three thirteen year-olds.

"So, not only do you have to defeat Naraku, but also collect all of these Shikon shards?" Manta said as he examined the bottle in Kagome's hand.

"Yeah... it can be rough." Kagome tucked the bottle away.

"Mm... I can only imagine," Manta mused. "I've never had to go through anything like you guys have."

"Keh..." Inuyasha was annoyed. "Kagome, I don't see why we had to go and tell these kids who just happened to fall in with you our life stories!"

"Well they just fell into the Sengoku Jidai, Inuyasha – they need a proper explanation to what's going on," Kagome answered. "Besides, it all ties in together about how the jewel was in my body."

"It's none of their business what we're doing here," he continued on.

"Well..." Inuyasha and Kagome looked at Yoh. "I would like to know a little more about the people I would like to help," he smiled.

"What?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at him. "What makes you think you can help us?"

"Because I'm a Shaman," Yoh said with his unchanged expression.

"Look, no offense or anything, but this is our problem, so we'll handle it," Inuyasha insisted rather roughly.

"You're right." Once again, the Itako was able to bring the others' attention to her. Anna looked up at Inuyasha. "Why should we want to help you after hearing your story about all the trouble Naraku and the jewel shards have caused for you?" she said sarcastically.

"Grr! That's not what I meant!" Inuyasha shouted.

"So you wouldn't mind accepting our help then!" Yoh continued to grin.

"I don't want your help!"

"Inuyasha," Kagome looked at the hanyou, "are you just concerned that you'll be putting them in danger?"

"NO!"

"If they want to help a bit, it should be okay," Sango imputed. She glanced beside her. "Houshi-sama, what do you think?"

Miroku seemed to be thinking, but not about what was being discussed. "Hm... this girl has quite the personality..." He was watching Anna with his hand placed underneath his chin. "... Might be a good trait for my successor..."

"Geh – What!?" Sango's eyes widened at the monk. Before she could do or say anything else, Miroku started directing his 'question' at Anna.

"Your name is Anna, right?" he asked the young girl across from him.

"Right."

"Then Anna, would you please do me the honour of bearing my child?"

"WHAT!?" the others in the room exploded, while Yoh just sat there with a quizzical look. Anna calmly closed her eyes, then...

SLAP!!!

The next thing you know, Miroku was sent flying across the room and out the door, lying limply out on the verandah. The others stared in shock at his body as the monk groaned in pain from his reddened cheek.

"What amazing power..." Kagome staggered.

"At least he's not unconscious or bleeding," Yoh chuckled.

"Huh?" the others gaped at the carefree boy.

"That's what happens when you don't know Anna," Manta said nervously. "Still, I can't believe he asked her that."

"Miroku asks every pretty girl he sees that," Shippo told him. "It's for when he needs someone to carry on with searching for Naraku."

"Humph... whatever." Anna glared at Miroku, still strewn across the floor. "Some monk, acting all perverted like that – especially when I'm already engaged."

"You're... what!?" Kagome stared at the Itako. "Engaged at your age... in my time?"

"I'm going to be the Shaman King's first lady," Anna informed the stunned girl. "The Shaman King of course – will be my Yoh."

"Your... Yoh?" Kagome turned to look at the boy next to Anna, waving with a grin.

"That was kind of my reaction too," Manta laughed. "It's an arranged marriage. It works though, since Yoh is always usually laidback."

"Wait..." Sango changed the subject around. "You said 'Shaman King'... what's that exactly?"

"The Shaman King is the king of all spirits. He's able to control the Great Spirits, and can therefore shape the world into any way he desires," Anna said.

Yoh nodded. "To be the Shaman King though, you have to complete in a tournament with other Shamans to determine who it will be. That's why I have Amidamaru."

At that point, Amidamaru showed himself. "I help Yoh-dono to compete in the fight."

"The ability and spiritual energy that I use called Furyoku, lets me to materialize spirits to shape them into a form," Yoh continued to explain. "So what I need is a spirit and medium to merge together and fight."

"You can really be that powerful?" Kagome gaped. "The ability to shape the world... there's a lot more to you guys than I originally thought."

"Well, except for Manta over there," Anna glanced sideways at Yoh's best friend. "He's just an ordinary human."

"Gh – Anna-san!" Manta frowned slightly.

"Could you show us how you do it, Yoh?" Shippo leaned over at him.

"Sure, if you have something like a sword I can do it with," Yoh answered the young kitsune.

"Here, try this." Anna held out a rather old-looking sword. It had some chips in the blade, and the handle was worn.

"Huh?" Inuyasha looked down at his sheath – or should I say empty sheath. "Geh - ! What the - !?" He stared angrily at Anna. "How and when the heck did you get my sword!?"

Anna ignored Inuyasha completely as she handed the blade to Yoh. "It looks pretty beaten up, but it should be okay."

"It's not okay!" Inuyasha fumed as he stood up. "That's _my_ sword made from one of _my_ father's fangs for _me_!"

"Really?" Yoh gazed down at the sword. "Hm... now that you mention it, it does seem a bit... different..."

"It uses youki as a power source," Kagome explained. "I'm not sure if - " Kagome stopped in mid-sentence when she felt something. "Inuyasha, there are jewel shards nearby!"

"What!?" Inuyasha looked down at the girl. "Where!?"

Instead of saying anything, Kagome ran out the door, hopping over Miroku as she did so. The others soon followed, while Sango tried to drag Miroku along.

"Come _on_, Houshi-sama!"

"Mmmnnn..."

Kagome soon began to realize what direction they were headed – the well. As she left the last few traces of greenery behind her, she gasped when she saw a reptilian youkai with eight snake heads. 'Is that... no, it can't be – it's too small.' When the others caught up with her, they too were amazed by the sight before them.

"Kagome, how many Shikon shards does it have?" Inuyasha quickly asked her.

She scanned over the youkai. "I think... four!"

"How ironic." Miroku had finally managed to pull himself together.

"You..." the beast bellowed. "You have some Shikon shards..." All eight pairs of eyes fell on Kagome.

"Er..." Kagome took a step back as the youkai's yellow orbs glistened.

Inuyasha stepped protectively in front of Kagome. "If anyone's going to be taking shards from anyone, it'll be us from you!" He jumped up and lunged at the youkai. "Sankontessou!" He clawed through one of the reptile's necks, bringing the head crashing downwards. Inuyasha landed back on his feet expecting to be triumphant, when he saw the head and neck actually trying to reconnect itself. "What – gah!" Another one of the heads took the opportunity to ram Inuyasha in the ribs.

"Don't try to interfere, hanyou!" it screeched.

"Ahh!" The snake head dived at Kagome, coiling her up in its neck.

"Kagome-chan! Gh - !" Sango blocked an incoming head with Hiraikotsu. "Houshi-sama!" Sango looked over to her right.

Miroku grunted as he held back his own adversary with his staff across its mouth. "There's too many of them!"

Kirara grew to full size and leapt at the snake head after Sango, pinning it down to the ground. Sango lifted Hiraikotsu up and brought it down on the youkai's neck, slicing the head off. As before when Inuyasha had done it however, the head simply reattached itself to its neck.

"This isn't going to work!" Sango shouted to the others.

"You rotten snake..." Inuyasha breathed as he got up. "I'm going to strip you of your skin!" He ran at the head that had Kagome hostage, about to attack it once more.

"Stay back!" it hollered, but Inuyasha just sank his claws in again nevertheless.

"Ah!" Kagome's eyes widened as the head came off along with the neck, herself still wrapped in it. She looked down to see that she was about to fall into the well along with her captor. "Oh no! Ah!" She screwed her eyes shut as the well swallowed her up. The youkai's dismemberment plunged down with her, hoping to get back together with its head before they hit bottom.

- - - Present Japan - - -

"Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"How dare you question the great dowsing of Lyserg!"

"Well we've practically been all over town!"

"That's because Faust said that they're out looking at shrines!"

"Would you two be quiet – you're getting really annoying!"

Lyserg kept walking along, following his dowsing pendulum, as his three friends bickered behind him. Yes, you can probably guess who consists of this group of people.

Lyserg had taken the opportunity to take Yoh up on his invite to Japan. As soon as Ryu got wind of this, he immediately sped for Yoh's as quickly as possible. Yoh figured that he might as well ask Ren and Horohoro to come for the reunion too, as they were in the vicinity. The problem was, when Lyserg arrived, neither Yoh nor Anna were home to greet him. Now the group was in search of the two, whom they also learned had Manta tagging along with them.

"Why are they going around looking at shrines anyway?" Horohoro frowned, placing his hands behind his head.

"Faust said he didn't know," Ryu reminded him.

"Moh... I bet this was all Anna's idea..." the Ainu continued to gripe. "Not even Yoh would think to go shrine-seeing."

"Shrine-seeing isn't a word," Ren muttered ahead of him.

"Gh – so what?" Horohoro gazed down at the back of Ren's head.

Ren closed his eyes. "So maybe if you took the time to use proper grammar, people would think more highly of you."

Horohoro brought his hands down to make a fist. "Like I care what you think!"

"Maybe you should."

"Grr..."

"Uh - " Lyserg stopped suddenly, causing the others to as well.

"What is it, Lyserg?" Ryu looked down at him.

"The pendulum is pointing..." he and the others looked up to see that they were standing in front of a red tori.

"A shrine..." Horohoro said, "Big surprise."

"The pull is really strong here though," Lyserg told them.

"Then Master and the others must be here!" Ryu clenched his fist in victory.

"Higurashi Shrine..." Ren read the sign on the tori. "Hmm..."

"Stop 'Hmm-ing' and let's go!" Horohoro bounded up the steps before anyone could say anything.

When they got to the top of the stairs, they looked around to see if Yoh or the others were visible. The only person they saw though was an elderly man who looked rather scattered.

"Hey, old man!" Horohoro called out to him. The elder straightened up at Horohoro's voice, and turned around to look at him.

"Don't call me 'old man'! I'm a Priest!" he said indignantly.

"Oh, sorry..." Horohoro apologized as the others caught up to him.

"Excuse me, but have you seen our friends here?" Ren asked him instead.

"Two of them are boys – one of them wears orange headphones on his head and the other is really short. The other one is a girl with a scary gaze," Horohoro told him.

"Hm?" Kagome's grandfather raised his eyebrows. "Why yes, three young ones fitting those descriptions were here just a little while ago."

"A while ago?" Ryu repeated.

"Yes... I was showing them around the shrine when I had to leave them for a minute to go in the house. When I came back though, they were gone."

"Um – " Lyserg gazed down at his pendulum. "No... they're still here..."

"What?" Kagome's grandfather looked astonished. "But I've searched practically everywhere – they aren't here anymore."

"Lyserg's dowsing is never wrong!" Ryu bellowed proudly.

"He still says he's an amateur though," Horohoro murmured.

"Lyserg is the greatest!" Ryu stared down at Horohoro.

"You're weird! We can't take your opinion seriously!" Horohoro shouted at him.

"Where is it pointing, Lyserg?" Ren asked as he ignored the other two.

"Over here," and Lyserg started following the direction of the pendulum. Ren and Kagome's grandfather followed him, as did Ryu and Horohoro as soon as they realized they were being left behind.

Lyserg lead them across the grounds to a secluded area. He stopped a few meters away, and checked to see what direction his pendulum was pointing in. Up ahead, they could see a lone wooden shed.

"It looks like they're in there," Ren deduced.

"Yeah, the pull is stronger," Lyserg added.

Kagome's grandfather meanwhile had realized that the boy's pendulum was pointing at the place where the well to the Sengoku Jidai was kept. He started, and stepped in front of the others.

"Um, they can't be in there – that area is off limits to visitors," he told them nervously. "Besides, I checked there before." The boys had a query look on their faces.

"But Lyserg's pendulum is pointing that way," Ryu insisted. "That must be where they are."

"Hey, Ren," Horohoro whispered over.

"I know, I sense it too," Ren muttered back. He turned his attention back to the priest in front of them. "Look, can we please just see for ourselves if they're in there?"

Before Kagome's grandfather had a chance to respond, a rumbling noise came from the shed he was trying to protect. Everyone looked back to see a snake head emerge rapidly from the inside. Entwined within its neck was a young girl in a school uniform.

"Ahh!" she screamed as they came out of the shed.

"Kagome!?" the girl's grandfather was shocked to see her, and in such a state as well.

"Oh!" Ryu's eyes widened when he saw her. "Best Place!"

"What!?" Horohoro turned on his older companion with a fierce look.

"I'll save you!" Ryu hollered as he ran towards the snake, his bokuto in tow. The youkai leered at him, and spat out an acidic poison at the ground, causing Ryu to fall over backwards to avoid being disintegrated.

"Stupid!" Horohoro shouted at him. "Think before you do anything!"

"Speak for yourself," Ren murmured as he drew Houraiken out.

"What!?" Horohoro vociferated at Ren this time.

Lyserg shot his pendulum at the sleek reptile, wrapping it around the snake's neck. "Alright, I've got him – now attack!"

"Right!" Ren jumped up, aiming for the coiled neck around Kagome. To his surprise however, the snake moved to the side, making his weapon become tangled in Lyserg's pendulum. "What – erk!" The youkai jerked back, Lyserg beginning to lose his footing.

"Ah - !" Lyserg was brought up into the air as the snake head started retreating back into the shed.

"Lyserg!" Ryu cried as he saw the boy being drawn away. He got up off the ground and ran over to Lyserg, only to be kicked in the face by him as the youkai jerked him around.

"Sorry, Ryu-san!" Lyserg shouted down at the dazed seventeen year-old.

"Gh!" Horohoro ran up to Lyserg this time, and successfully grabbed onto his legs, hoping to keep them on the ground. "Gyah!" With another yank however, Horohoro too was dragged across the ground. His eyes widened as he saw them head into the shed, about to go down a well.

Everyone shouted as they entered the well's mouth.

"Hey, no! Wait!" Ryu went after them, and latched onto Horohoro's foot, just before he lost sight of the others. As they plunged down the well, a bluish light swept over them, taking them away from present Japan.

Only Kagome's grandfather was left behind, awe-struck and speechless about what just happened at Higurashi Shrine.

- - - Sengoku Jidai - - -

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled when he saw her plummet. Grunting, he scampered over to where Yoh, Anna, and Manta were watching with Shippo. "Give me back Tessaiga!" He held his hand out to Yoh.

"Eh? You mean this?" Yoh held up the sword.

"Yes, that! Hurry up and give it back to me!"

"Actually, I see this as a chance to demonstrate to your friend here how a Shaman's abilities work," Anna jutted a finger at Shippo.

"Are you crazy!?" Inuyasha rattled. "That thing has four Shikon shards and Kagome! I need Tessaiga to save her!"

"Inuyasha, look out!"

"What?"

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango hurled her weapon at two snake heads which were about to strike at Inuyasha. She successfully managed to behead both reptilians in one strike before they reached him. As she caught Hiraikotsu, she looked at the heads and necks, expecting them to become one again. She noticed however, that they seemed to shake slightly in hesitation before attempting it. It hit the taiji-ya. "Inuyasha! If we cut all the heads off at once, the youkai will most likely be weakened!"

Inuyasha whirled around. "Are you sure?"

"It's worth a try!" Miroku imputed as he slapped a sutra on the head attacking him, burning its scaly skin.

"Alright!" Inuyasha agreed. He turned back around to Yoh. "Give me Tessaiga!"

"I told you, Yoh will handle it," Anna said firmly.

Inuyasha was getting really annoyed by now. "Look, I – "

"AHHHHH!!!"

"What the - !?" Everyone looked round at the well, where the snake head that had disappeared with Kagome was reeling its neck back.

"BWAH!" Kagome came back up with the snake, but she wasn't alone. Four other humans flew out of the well with her, hanging onto the youkai for dear life.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted when he saw her again.

Manta's eyes boggled out, as he recognized who the extra passengers were. "You guys!?"

"Eh?" one of the boys, who had blue hair, looked down at him. "Ah! Manta!" he beamed.

"What?" The tallest of the four searched the ground as well. "Master! We found you!"

"Ryu!" Yoh blinked up at him. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Looking for you with Lyserg!" he bellowed down.

"Lyserg?" Yoh moved his eyes up to see the green-haired boy.

"Yoh-kun!" Lyserg would have attempted to wave if it wasn't for the fact that he was being thrown around.

"Enough pleasantries!" Ren yelled as he too was swung in the air. "We need to get down from here!"

"Ye – AH!" Horohoro's eyes widened as he saw two snake heads coming at them. He let go of Lyserg so that he and Ryu fell flat onto the ground below. "Gyah – what is that thing!?" Horohoro looked up at the eight-headed youkai.

Ryu took a glance at it and gasped. "The Yamata no Orochi!? No, wait... it's too small..."

"Ah, who are _they_?" Inuyasha said to no one in particular.

"They're friends of ours," Manta answered him weakly.

"Mnph..." Inuyasha seemed quite exasperated.

Yoh looked over at Sango. "Hey, you said that if all the heads come off, it'll be weakened, right?"

Sango made sure nothing was coming at her before answering. "That's right."

"Okay, then." Yoh lifted up Tessaiga before him. "I'll do it!"

"What!?" Inuyasha's face contorted into a heated expression. "Hey, I – Gak!"

Anna had tossed her beads around Inuyasha's body, immobilizing the hanyou. "Don't interfere."

"_Me_ interfere!? You're the one who's – Ack!" Anna tugged on the beads, jerking Inuyasha to the floor. "Let go of me!"

Anna gazed down at him. "Only after Yoh is finished."

Inuyasha growled, irritated at what was going on. He wasn't being given any choice in the matter as it seemed though, so he whipped round to check on Kagome.

Everyone was pretty much being kept busy with a snake head of their own. Two of them were trying to snap at Lyserg and Ren to get them off, while Ryu and Horohoro tried to distract them. Kagome meanwhile was pretty much frazzled by the whole situation.

"Alright!" Yoh prepared himself, and swung his arm across. "Amidamaru, Spirit Ball Mode!" Consequently, the samurai spirit appeared and then formed into a red flaming ball in Yoh's plam. "Amidamaru in... Tessaiga!" Yoh placed his hand next to the katana to infuse it with Amidamaru's ghost. The result was a blaring light, attracting the attention of everyone in the area.

After the light died down, what they saw was a surprise to everyone. The sword in Yoh's hands had grown to about half the size of what Tessaiga would usually be in Inuyasha's control. The blade was a glowing orange in colour, with tassels hanging from the hilt. Yoh felt an odd energy emitting from the sword, as Inuyasha gawked at what had happened to his sword.

Rather stiffly, Yoh lifted it up with his bangs shading his eyes. Almost instinctively, he brought it across his chest, and then glared up at the snake youkai, meeting his pair of eyes with its eight. "SAMURAI NO KIBA!" He brought Tessaiga across, blades of gold flying from the katana to slice each of the heads off with a loud THUMP!

"Ah – ouf!" Kagome, Lyserg, and Ren fell to the ground, the neck beginning to unfurl from around Kagome.

"Kagome!" Anna slipped her beads off Inuyasha as he dashed over to where she had fallen.

"Inuyasha, quick!" Kagome called before he reached her. "Get the Shikon shards out from the youkai's main body before it tries to regenerate!"

"Huh? But – "

"Hurry!"

Inuyasha hesitated for a moment, but otherwise did what he was told. He rushed over to the body, and clawed through it with, "Sankontessou!"

Kagome tried to squirm out of the grip the decapitated snake had on her, as Ren untangled Houraiken from Lyserg's pendulum. After, he sliced through the neck to free Kagome.

"Ah – thank you," Kagome said gratefully as she stepped away from the youkai remain.

"It was nothing." He eyed the girl. "But tell me, how - "

"Lyserg!!" Ryu interrupted him as he ran over to where they were with Horohoro. "Lyserg, are you okay?" he said quickly when her reached them.

"Yes, it was nothing," Lyserg smiled. He undid his pendulum from around the youkai to lock it back into place.

"Oh, I'm so relieved..." Ryu held a hand up to his chest.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha called. "Come here and pick up the shards!"

"Okay!" Kagome called back as she went over to meet him.

"Yoh-kun!" Manta's voice attracted the attention of the other Shamans. They looked over to see Yoh lying on the floor with Amidamaru hovering over him. Quickly, they jogged over to where their friends were.

"Master!" Ryu gasped. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." Yoh replied exasperatedly. "I just feel a bit tired."

"Did you feel that, Yoh-dono?" Amidamaru asked him heavily.

"Yeah..."

"It must be because of the Tessaiga," Kagome and the others came to join them, "because it's made from Inuyasha's father's fang."

"Oh, you," Ren said as he looked up. "So can you tell us - "

"OUH!" Ryu's eyes lit up, once again interrupting Ren.

"Quit doing that!" Ren shouted at him, but Ryu didn't seem to be paying any attention. He took Kagome's hand in his own and got down on one knee.

"Eh - ?" Kagome blinked at Ryu.

"Miss... would you please come with me to my Best Place?" Ryu's eyes glittered.

"EH!?"

"Get your hands off her!" Inuyasha slapped Ryu's hand away.

"Eh?" Ryu blinked. "Oh, are you two... together?"

"Er - " Both Kagome and Inuyasha blushed.

"So... you are," Ryu decided upon himself. He sighed deeply.

"It's not like that!" Inuyasha flustered.

"Hm, that's right," Kagome interjected, "because you have Kikyou, right?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" Inuyasha whirled around. "Kagome, I - "

"So I still have a chance?" Ryu said hopefully as he lit up. "Miss, please – "

"Stay away from her!"

Miroku examined the scene in front of him. "Hm... this fellow is quite forward."

"You're one to talk," Sango mumbled as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Here," Yoh said to Inuyasha. He held out the Tessaiga, which had by now transformed back. "Thanks for letting me borrow it."

Inuyasha stared at him for a second before taking it back. "Humph... well it's not like I had a choice," he glanced at Anna who sent him a glare which was quite unnerving to him. "But that was some attack though," he said as he slid Tessaiga back into its sheath. "I've never seen Tessaiga like that before."

"It must be because of Yoh's Shaman abilities and that Over Soul with Tessaiga," Manta figured.

"So that's what that was..." Miroku contemplated over the matter. "Over Soul..."

"So..." Yoh looked up at Inuyasha. "Can we help you guys?" he smiled.

Inuyasha didn't reply right away, apparently thinking it over. He sighed before saying, "If that's what you want to do – fine."

Yoh grinned. "Great!"

"Sorry," Ren tried again, "but – "

"OH, MISS!" Ryu once again cut the Chinese boy off. He darted over to Sango. "Please, would you be my Best Place?"

"Be your... what?" Sango blinked confusedly.

Ren was steamed for being cut short for the third time by Ryu. "Would you get a hold of your hormones for crying out loud!?" he fumed angrily.

"Ouh, Lyserg, look!" Horohoro pointed at Ren's head. "His hair is getting taller!" he laughed.

"Er..." Lyserg wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that.

Ren turned on the Ainu. "Shut up!"

"Yoh, how long are we going to be here?" Anna eyed her fiancé. "I don't want to spend all my time in the Sengoku Jidai, there are things to be done – such as all the chores Manta has to do."

"ME!?" Manta exclaimed loudly.

"Hey," Kagome said to Ryu, "how can you ask her to be your Best Place when you asked me to go with you there?"

"Hm," Ryu smirked, "because both of you will come with me!" he said triumphantly.

"What are doing, Kagome!?" Inuyasha yelled at her.

"I'm just asking."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"You shouldn't have made her angry," Shippo retorted from below.

"Grrr!" Inuyasha grabbed Shippo by the tail.

"Aie!"

"Inuyasha, let him go!" Kagome demanded.

"Sorry," Miroku leaned over to Sango, "but she's with me." He reached an eager hand over, and...

WHAP!

Sango hit him one. "Houshi-sama, knock it off!"

"Oh, trouble in paradise I see?" Ryu looked intrigued.

"Stop laughing!!"

"Why?"

"Anna-san, why do I have to?"

"Because I said so."

"Get away from her!"

"But she's not with you!"

"Inuyasha, let go of me!"

"Er..." Lyserg could only watch as chaos ensued within this group. He glanced over at Yoh who was sitting happily amidst all of it. Lyserg sighed inwardly. Maybe he should have decided to visit Yoh at a later time...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Me: And that brings the third chapter to a close! How did you like it? I'm not used to doing action scenes, and I think some parts were a little awkward, but otherwise okay.

I wasn't sure what to do when Yoh did Over Soul with Amidamaru, but it turned out fine.

By the way, I think "kiba" means "fang"; that's the attack name I was aiming for anyways – if it's not, someone please tell me. It was a bit difficult trying to come up with an attack and such.

I hope the characters were pretty much in character.

Well, from here on I'm not sure where the story is leading, so that means a hiatus for this fic (hey, but at least I made this chapter longer!) With school coming up, it'll be especially difficult to think of something. I tend to just write and not think out the plot of my fanfiction, a bad habit I know, but that's mostly because I have the main idea, but not what's going to happen in-between.

So until then, sayonara!


	4. Itako no Anna to Taijiya no Sango

Me: Lookie, lookie! I _finally_ updated! Sorry to keep you all waiting for… let's see… nine months! I wonder if you're even still around (glances from side to side). This chapter – even longer than the last! I thought I'd use it for some character interaction time. Hope you like it.

Oh, and CharmedP5, "-kun" is usually used to show closeness with boys, while "-chan" is usually used for girls. "-sama" is just as you said, for someone higher up you respect. The same can also be said about Amidamaru's "-dono", a sort of older form of "-sama" I think. I think.

To "some person", I really wasn't considering a love triangle. I'm not sure how appropriate that would be. If there appear to be any weird hints or whatever though, feel free to interpret them as you like.

Disclaimer: "Shaman King" is property of Hiroyuki Takei, TV Tokyo, Viz, etc.  
"InuYasha" is property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise, Yomiuri TV, Viz, etc.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chapter 4: Itako no Anna to Taiji-ya no Sango

So here they were again, everyone explaining to the newcomers what exactly was going on around here. The shamans and company sat at one side of Kaede's home, while Inuyasha-tachi was at the other.

"Whoa, I can't believe we've gone back in time!" Horohoro exclaimed.

"This is truly incredible," Ryu added.

Inuyasha's brow twitched. "Kagome, why do you keep bringing other people with you from your time?"

"It's not like I wanted to," she protested. "It just happened."

Something occurred to Miroku when he heard this. "By the way Kagome-sama, why did you come back in the first place? I thought you wanted to go home."

"Oh, right!" Kagome brought her bag around in front of her, digging down in it. "When I got home, I realized that I had a stowaway."

Shippo got up to look in Kagome's bag. "A stowaway?"

Out of her bag, Kagome pulled out a bottle with what looked like a rat inside. "This rat youkai jumped out of my bag when I got home."

"A youkai?" Horohoro's eyes boggled at the unfamiliar creature.

Manta waved his hand with the palm facing downwards. "There's a lot that needs explaining."

"Anyway, Sango-chan, could you take care of it? Make sure it can't get back into the village or anything like that." Kagome held the jar out to her.

"Sure." Sango got up and took the occupied container from Kagome, picking up some of her things before heading outside.

"Why let her take it?" Horohoro asked ignorantly. "From what I've seen, that guy could take care of that thing in one shot." He pointed at Inuyasha.

Kagome replied, "Well, the youkai isn't really bothering anyone, so we don't have to kill it. Sango-chan being a taiji-ya, she can make sure it's out of the way without hurting it."

"A taiji-ya?" Ryu raised an eyebrow.

"A youkai taiji-ya," Kagome clarified.

"Hm." Ren looked up at them. "You're all really a strange group. A houshi, miko, taiji-ya, kitsune, neko-youkai, and a hanyou. How in the world did you all meet?"

"Wha?" Horohoro's eyes widened. "How did you know what all of them were?"

Ren closed his eyes. "It's obvious if you take the time to examine them closely."

Horohoro's eyes narrowed. "Says you."

"I suppose we can tell the rest of you what's happening in this era," Miroku said.

Inuyasha made a face. "Great, not this again."

So the gang prattled on about their situations respectively. A certain itako however had already heard what she needed to know, and wasn't interested in listening to it again. Rather, she managed to tune out the chatter, and focused on something else that was on her mind. Her eyes shifted when Sango returned from her task in the midst of the group's conversation. Anna had heard the taiji-ya's story from before – and she could tell it bothered her at the time. Losing her whole village and family to a youkai like Naraku – then having her dead younger brother turned against her. How despicable…

"Hey, wait a minute," Horohoro spoke up. "This Naraku guy you're talking about reminds me of someone… hm…" The Ainu tilted his head upwards and scratched the back of his head in thought.

Anna completed the thought for him. "I think you mean Hao."

"Hao?" the others exclaimed rather loudly.

"Wait, that's right," Manta said. "We're five-hundred years back in the past, right? That means the Hao from five-hundred years ago is living right now in Patch Village!"

Lyserg, who had been relatively quiet up to this point, just had the need to say something now. His body tensed up as he exclaimed, "Hao's alive?"

Ren had a hand placed under his chin. "But if he's the Hao from the past, then doesn't that mean he doesn't have the Spirit of Fire yet?"

"You're right!" Ryu made a fist. "So maybe we can stop him before he does!"

Manta was apprehensive with this theory. "But how are you going to do that?"

"They aren't." The itako had bluntly stomped on the shamans' plan.

"What do you mean we aren't?" Horohoro frowned at the girl. "If we have a chance to stop Hao before he gets the spirit, he can't cause any harm in the future!"

Horohoro had unwittingly caused Lyserg to bring up the memory of his parents; the good and the bad. Lyserg shrunk back into his seat, sorrow crossing his features.

"Don't be stupid," Anna stated flatly. "Hao's in Patch Village, which is in America. Just how do you expect to get there?"

"Er-" To this, Horohoro couldn't find anything to say in response. 'Darn, she just has to be right about everything, doesn't she?'

"Hn…" Manta glanced at Yoh sitting next to him. "I guess we can't do anything about Hao now then, can we?"

"It can't be helped," Yoh replied with a slight carefree grin. "We'll just have to deal with him back in our time."

"Um, excuse me," Miroku tried to attract the other group's attention, "but who's this Hao person?"

"He's Yoh-kun's older brother," Manta explained. "He's a shaman too."

"Except he doesn't care for humans," Horohoro pointed out.

Ren elaborated by adding, "He wants to destroy all humans and useless shaman to create a Shaman Kingdom."

Kagome's eyes widened. "He wants to _what_?" After all, she belonged to the same time they did.

Ryu put a hand to his chest. "Do not worry, Kagome!" he said with confidence. "Danna will take care of everything, and we'll be with him all the way!"

"Um… okay…" Kagome thought that Ryu's 'enthusiasm' strangely resembled that of Miroku's.

"Hm…" Speaking of Miroku, the monk was in the midst of thinking. "An older brother who dislikes humans…"

"Useless youkai…" Sango seemed to be pondering along the same lines.

"Sounds like someone familiar." Shippo gazed up at the hanyou. "Don't you think so, Inuyasha?"

The white-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Miroku pat his fist into his other hand's palm. "He sounds like Sesshomaru!"

"Sesshomaru is Inuyasha's older brother," Kagome clarified for the newcomers. "Unlike Inuyasha though, Sesshomaru is a full youkai."

Manta gave a half smile. "It seems we all have sibling problems."

"Except for Ren over here," Ryu smirked. "He_ looooves_ his older sister Jun. Personally, I don't blame him."

At this, Ren's face went a nice shade of red. "Shut up!" He raised a threatening fist up at the older shaman.

Horohoro hugged his stomach with one arm as he laughed, while pointing a finger at Ren with the other. "Look at how embarrassed he is! Hahahahaha!"

"Kisama!" Ren stamped his foot against the floor as he prepared to get up and confront the mocking Ainu.

"I'm sure your sister cares a lot about you too, Ren-kun."

Everyone else in the room paused to search for the speaker of this admirable sentence. Their sights found Sango, sitting placidly amongst them.

With a soft smile she added, "She must worry sometimes when you participate in these fights of yours."

Ren miraculously lost the ability to say anything in response. So instead, in a flustered state, he sat back down in his place and folded his arms irritably.

The Ainu shaman grinned before letting out a sigh. "I think Pilika worries about me too. She wants me to win, but also looks out for my safety. And then there are those training programs she comes up with to try and help me. I mean, training's one thing, but the stuff she comes up with," he smirked, "it's about as bad as –"

"As bad as who?" Anna sent him a wicked glare.

"Um – er – n-no one in particular," Horohoro sweated.

Ryu heaved a great breath of air. "All of you have these siblings except me."

"Don't feel so bad, Ryu," Miroku piped up. "I myself am without brothers of sisters."

Shippo leaped unto the monk's shoulder. "Me too!"

"Ah – really?" The eldest shaman's eyes lit up.

"We can be the only-child club!" Shippo laughed, to which Miroku joined in as well.

"Sounds good!" Ryu nodded, the three cheering together oddly. He glanced round at Anna. "Okami, do you want to –"

"No," the itako replied absolutely.

Inuyasha made an annoyed sound in his throat. "Kagome!" He looked at the girl. "What are we going to do now that you're back?"

"Eh?" Kagome blinked. She put her index finger against her face and gazed upwards in thought. "Mm… well I was supposed to go back to get more supplies." She looked back down at the shaman group. "I guess school's out of the question since I can't abandon you all here. Eh – wait, don't you all have school too?" The group shrugged.

"It'll be okay if we miss a bit of school," Yoh replied lightheartedly. "You don't mind, do you, Manta?"

"No, it's okay," Manta said with a slight grin.

Kagome couldn't believe her ears. "What? Don't your parents mind?"

"What about you?" Anna set her cool gaze on Kagome. "You must spend most of your time here rather than at school with all the fighting and searching that you do."

This took Kagome aback. "Um… well yes, that's true…"

"So I'd be more worried about yourself if I were you," Anna continued. "We already know what we're going to do in life. School isn't an absolute necessity for us. You on the other hand probably don't know what you want, and have to get into high school. You realize how stressful that is, don't you?"

"Er… well…" Kagome couldn't find the right words to respond with. Everything the younger girl said to her was true.

Anna concluded with, "Seeing as how much you go back and forth between this double life of yours, I'd be surprised if you even get in to high school."

Lightning bolts struck behind Kagome, the miko becoming ashen-faced. Anna had just voiced her deepest worry about the end result of this escapade she was a part of. 'Noooooo!' Kagome turned away from the others, mulling over the whole situation.

"Hey!" Inuyasha didn't approve if the itako talking about Kagome like that. "You just hear about what we have to go through and you think you understand the whole situation? We all know about how Kagome had to go back for tests, and we let her. She also spends time studying over here. Stop saying things like that to her, she can do it!"

Kagome looked over at the hanyou. "Inuyasha…"

"So you help her study?" Anna questioned.

Inuyasha did a double take. "Er… well no, I don't understand any of the stuff she reads…"

"So instead you just add to the pressure she's under by saying how she'll get good marks even with the things she has to do here."

Inuyasha's mouth was wide, trying to find something to say back to her. The only thing he managed were strangled sort of sounds, until he finally shut his mouth completely.

"Wow, she's good," Shippo muttered to Kirara, the cat youkai mewing in agreement.

Manta smiled weakly at Kagome. "So are you going to go back?"

"I suppose that would be best," Kagome sighed, still recovering from Anna's verbal blows. She turned to Sango. "Sango-chan, if you want to use the onsen while I'm away, go ahead."

Anna's eyebrows rose slightly at the familiar word. "An onsen?"

Her voice startled Kagome somewhat, but she replied, "Yeah. Sango-chan and I usually bathe in them. We have one around here."

The itako seemed to be thinking. "I'll go too."

"What?" Those who were more familiar with Anna's behaviour turned to stare at her.

"I'd like to see it," she said plainly. "I could see how it compares to Funbari's." Everyone exchanged glances with one another.

"Well, if you like you can go," Kagome answered a bit unsure about this. "Is that all right with you, Sango-chan?"

"Yes." Sango looked at Anna. "Is later tonight all right with you?"

"That's fine."

Kagome let out a breath of air. "Okay, I'll be going then." She got up and picked her bag up from the floor. "I'll be back tomorrow morning." With a goodbye to those in the room, she was off.

"So… what now?" Horohoro scanned his eyes across the room at the others.

"We wait for her to come back," Ren muttered evidently.

"I know that!" the blue-haired boy shouted. "I mean what do we do to pass the time!"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Hopefully something quiet."

Deciding it would be better not to stay inside all day, the group went out to do whatever came to mind. Yoh sat on the adjacent steps with Anna and Manta, Shippo decidedly joining them.

"Yoh-kun, are you sure it's okay to be outside?" Manta was still thinking about how fatigued his friend had become from the previous scuffle.

"Mm." Yoh tilted his head gave Manta a reassuring glance. "I feel better now. Plus," he gazed up at the clear blue sky, "it feels good being with nature!" Yoh let his familiar laugh float through the air.

Ren was leaning against Kaede's cabin with folded arms. "Hn. You always have that same attitude wherever you are."

"Same goes for you, doesn't it?" Horohoro eyed Ren from beneath the red tori.

"What did you say?" Ren muttered with a lengthened tone. "Fn. To wait until tomorrow morning for that girl to get back while we do nothing; that's a boring waste of time." He pushed away from the dwelling to gaze at the rooftop. "Oi, you up there!"

Inuyasha's ears twitched. He reacted to Ren's call by giving him a sort of annoyed look. "Ehn?"

"You're a hanyou, right?"

"Keh. Yeah, so?"

Smirking, Ren shot his arm out to extend Houraiken, pointing it at Inuyasha. "Then how about a battle?"

"What?" Manta and Horohoro's eyes boggled.

"Nn?" Yoh brought his own eyes down to see what was going on.

"You two are _not_ fighting here," Anna pointed out.

"That's fine," Ren said with his expression still intact.

"I am _not_ fighting you," Inuyasha retorted lazily before turning over.

"Oh?" The Chinese boy rested Houraiken against his shoulder. "Afraid you'll lose, are you?"

At this, Inuyasha spun around, eyes of fury glaring at Ren. "What did you say? Who's losing? All right!" He leaped off the roof to land beside Ren. "Where do you want this battle?"

"Hn. Follow me," Ren replied haughtily, leading the way for Inuyasha.

Manta watched them leave with trepidation. "Do you really think it's okay to let them fight each other?"

"They won't do anything to hurt each other," Yoh mused. "We fight each other all the time."

"I think that's a different situation, Yoh-kun."

"Mou!" Sango was stamping her way towards them. "I'm tired of hearing those two try to hit on the village women."

The others could see Miroku and Ryu in the background, faint sounds of the phases, "Would you please bear my child?" and "Would you please be my best place?" being uttered.

"It's especially annoying in Houshi-sama's case," Sango said exasperatedly. "He's probably talked to these same women ten times already!"

The shaman group and Shippo just stared at her blankly.

"Er… sorry." Sango suddenly seemed ashamed of her behaviour. "I don't know why I'm telling you these things." She sighed. "I think I'll go for a walk." And with that, the taiji-ya was out of their sights as well.

"Hm…" Shippo leant back on his propped arm. "Things always seem ruffled when Kagome's not around."

"Hn?" Manta blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Eh? Well…" Shippo thought for a moment. "It's like when Kagome's here, situations are more in order. Like she puts Inuyasha in check or is there to talk to Sango about Miroku."

"Hm…" Manta absorbed this information and analyzed it. 'It kind of reminds me of,' he turned to face his other side, 'Yoh-kun.' Manta turned back when he sensed Shippo staring at him. "W-What?"

Shippo tilted his head to the side. "I was wondering… how come you're so much shorter than the rest of your friends?"

"Huh?" the boy in questioned gawked at the kitsune.

"I mean, I know I'm shorter than the others because I'm a young youkai, but," Shippo leaned forward slightly, "what about you?"

"Um…" Manta racked his brain to come up with an answer to this awkward question. "I guess it's because my father is short?"

"So… you come from a long line of shorties?"

The statement ruffled Manta's feathers. "Hey, you don't have to put it that way!"

"Oh, sorry. So is your mother short too?"

"Nn… no. She's actually pretty tall."

"Huh?" Shippo's green orbs widened. "That's weird. So why aren't you tall like her?"

"I don't know. My younger sister is short too, you know."

"Hn…" Shippo slumped back into his seat. "That's strange. Oh?" The young kitsune's eyes brightened.

"Huh?" Manta followed Shippo's gaze to find it resting above his head. The reason Shippo was staring was because Kororo had decided to float over and lay upon Manta's head.

"Hm…" Shippo was pondering again. His face broke into a grin. "Hey, you look like her!"

"What?" Manta couldn't believe that even Shippo thought he looked like a Koropokkuru.

"Oh?" Shippo took another glance at Kororo. The spirit had a sort of giddy expression on her face, and was clinging to Manta's head happily. "Hey. Is she your girlfriend?"

The boy nearly tumbled down the steps. "E-_Excuse me_?"

"Kororo likes him!" Horohoro laughed from the other end of the stairs. "She thinks he's a Koropokkuru."

"Ah, he's right Manta," Yoh agreed with a grin. "Must be nice having someone who likes you." Yoh tensed when Anna suddenly stood up next to him. He slowly careened his head to face her. "A-Anna, I -"

"I'm going for a walk," she interjected flatly before heading off.

"Anna!" Yoh tried to call her back, but the itako merely continued along her path.

"Oh no…" the boy muttered. "I'm in trouble!"

Horohoro just commented, "I still wouldn't want a girlfriend like her."

Manta sighed in pity for his best friend.

"Hey," Shippo piped up. "You know… there's a girl who I like," the kitsune blushed as he said this.

"Huh?" the three boys stared at Shippo.

"And…" Shippo fiddled with his fingers. "I think she likes me too."

"WHAT?" Horohoro exploded. "No way!" He sank to the ground dramatically. "Even this little guy has a girlfriend," the Ainu sniffed. "I want a girlfriend!"

- -

Sango walked along the riverside, deep in contemplation. It wasn't until her eyes caught sight of someone up ahead that she was brought back to reality. She realized it was one of the newcomers Kagome had brought with her. He was sitting by the back, staring out at the visible scene, his green cloak blanketed around him. When he finally noticed Sango's presence, the boy jerked around to face her.

"I'm sorry!" Sango put up her hands and apologized. "I didn't mean to bother you."

Lyserg's posture and features relaxed. "Mn…" He shook his head. "No, it's all right. You just surprised me, that's all. Please, sit if you like."

Sango accepted his invitation. "You have quite polite manners," she said when she sat down.

"Really?" Lyserg gave a small grin. His eyes shifted back to the river. "I guess it's because of my… parents." Lyserg's expression quickly changed to a grimace. "But they're gone now."

Sango's eyes widened. "You mean they're…"

"Dead," the boy finished bitterly. He could tell Sango was feeling sorry for him, but he couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from. He wasn't exactly sure he wanted her pity, but he did know that she had also lost her family. Maybe that's why he told her, "Hao killed my parents."

The taiji-ya set her gaze upon him. "Hao? You mean that person your friends were talking about earlier?"

"Yes," Lyserg murmured. "I wanted to get revenge for my parents and kill Hao. By any means necessary. However, I ended up betraying my friends by doing so." He tilted his head back to the flowing body of water. "I guess that's why I'm here by myself instead of with them. I don't completely feel like I still fit in."

Sango stared at him. "Don't you think that's silly, though?"

A surprised Lyserg looked up at Sango.

"I mean, thinking you don't belong with your friends just because you betrayed them." Sango gazed down at the stream. "To tell you the truth, I betrayed my friends before as well. I stole Inuyasha's Tessaiga to give it to Naraku; in exchange for my brother. When the whole ordeal was over, I didn't have my brother, but I still had my friends. Even when I told them I shouldn't stay because I might betray them again, they still wanted me in their group." She looked at Lyserg again. "You were friends with them before, weren't you? And they forgave you, accepting you back in to their group because they know who you really are." She smiled at him. "Don't you think that's how friendship is?"

It was like a vacuum was roaming around Lyserg's head, trying to organize all the thoughts he had in there. He seemed to feel a lot lighter, a gentle red hue creeping onto his cheeks. Slowly, his lips curved into a soft smile. "Thank you for your kind words. I think I understand now."

"Good," Sango replied contently.

At that moment, the two heard a mewing sound behind them. Kirara was sprinting up to the pair, landing in Sango's lap.

"Kirara!" Sango cuddled the cat youkai fondly. "Ah, this is Kirara. Do you remember her?" she asked Lyserg.

"Um – yes, I remember." He had been busy watching the feline, so he was slightly startled when Sango spoke to him. Then his surprise increased when Kirara looked at him curiously, tilting her head and twitching her ears. "Um…" Lyserg continued to watch her apprehensively. All of a sudden, Kirara jumped into Lyserg's lap and nuzzlied her face into the back of his hand. "Oh, um… hi there." He cupped his hand over her head, brushing the small youkai's fur back.

"It looks like Kirara likes you," Sango observed with amusement.

"Do you think so?"

Sango nodded. "Mm. Kirara wouldn't approach anyone otherwise."

Lyserg gazed down at the Sango's companion. "Thank you, Kirara," he smiled. Kirara mewed a reply, climbing up onto his shoulder. That was when Morphine appeared, hovering next to her.

Kirara leapt back onto the ground, the spirit following her down so that the two were now eyeing one another with interest. Morphine flew closer, slowly reaching out a hand to touch the black marking on Kirara's forehead. Kirara mewed, and pushed her face into Morphine's body affectionately. Seeing the spirit enjoy that, Kirara motioned for Morphine to climb upon her back. Wistfully thinking about this at first, Morphine climbed aboard. The cat youkai scampered about the grass, a breeze blowing past Morphine, the two of them taking great pleasure in this escapade.

Their two partners meanwhile, exchanged glances with one other and laughed.

- -

Anna was just passing by when she noticed Lyserg and Sango by the riverside. The two of them were watching Kirara giving Morphine a ride, the feline dashing about while a trail of sparkles were left in her path.

Having mulled over it, Yoh decided to go after Anna in an attempt to explain himself and apologize. So when he saw standing there, he said, "A-"

BWAP! Anna smacked him in the face.

"Ow!" Yoh put a hand to his injury. "An-"

"Shh!" Anna hissed harshly.

Confused, Yoh followed her gaze. "Hn? Lyserg and that girl's friend. But why – ah?" Yoh turned back to his fiancée only to see her heading back to Kaede's. "Anna, wait!" He paced to keep up with her, the girl pausing to look at him. "Um…"

"What?"

"I… erm… I'm sorry."

Anna stared at him with that same expression she always had. "For what?"

"For… what I said earlier." He hesitated. "About having someone who likes you?"

Her features unchanged, Anna said, "Why apologize?"

"Eh?" Yoh blinked at her. "Why?"

Anna turned away from him. "I'm going back." With that, she left Yoh behind, still bewildered about what just happened. 'Hn. You don't have to apologize,' Anna closed her eyes, 'because it's not just like. Stupid.'

- -

"Hey!" Horohoro looked up when he saw Ren and Inuyasha coming back. "How was your fight? Who won?"

"Hn." Ren closed his eyes and smirked. "Who do you think?" He glanced back at Inuyasha, the hanyou sending him a dirty look.

"Inuyasha," Miroku voiced with a surprised tone. "You lost?"

"Grr…! So what?" Inuyasha seethed. "I could have won if he was a youkai! Having no youki to use against him… and then he used this giant spirit thing up against me!"

"Ha?" Horohoro stared at Ren. "You used your Super Oversoul on him?"

Ren shrugged haughtily. "He was being stubborn. I had to show him who was strongest."

Inuyasha glared at him. "_Excuse me?_"

"We're back!" Sango was returning with Lyserg, their respective partners atop their shoulders.

"Lyserg? Where were you?" Horohoro asked when he saw him.

"I was at the riverside with Sango-san," the boy replied simply.

"You were gone for a pretty long time," Shippo noted.

Sango answered, "Mm. I took Lyserg-kun for a ride on Kirara." She tuned to Lyserg. "It was fun, right?"

"Yes," he said with a grin.

Ryu made some sort of strangled voice in his throat. "No, Lyserg!" The others stared at him bemusedly. "I knew this day would come some day, but not so soon! You have discovered…" he pumped his arms dramatically, "the mystique of females!"

There was a unanimous, "HUH?"

"Ryu-san, what -" Lyserg started, but was soon cut off.

"I must take some time to recover!" And with that, Ryu took off in some random direction.

"Hm…" Miroku watched him go with raised eyebrows. "Strange fellow."

"Says the houshi who was trying to pick up women with him earlier," Sango murmured, eyeing Miroku accusingly.

"What were you talking about before we came?" Lyserg wondered.

Horohoro snickered, "About the hanyou who lost to Ren."

"Inuyasha lost?" Sango said with disbelief.

"Would everyone stop talking about that?" Inuyasha shouted.

"Be quiet," came a stout voice. Anna was standing behind him, arms crisscrossed. "You're so noisy. I can see why that other girl has to keep you in check."

"What?" Inuyasha raised a twitching eyebrow at her. One glare from Anna however was enough to put Inuyasha in his place.

"So, what are we eating?" she asked no one in particular.

Miroku took a moment to recall. "I think we still have some supplies Kagome-sama brought. Of course, we also have our own rations."

"All right!" Horohoro punched the air. "Let's eat!"

They all had a meal of whatever was on hand, hoping that Kagome would keep in mind to bring more when she got back. They also made a note to make sure they replenished what they were able to by means of their own. When they were just about finished, Sango took the opportunity to ask Anna if she wished to go to the onsen as of yet. Accepting the offer, Sango picked up a couple of towels before they left Kaede's.

Sango lead the way to the onsen, neither of the girls saying anything to the other the whole way there. Actually, Sango would have liked something to say, but wasn't sure what to talk about. As far as she could tell, the younger girl wasn't exactly the chitchat type. So she simply brought Anna to the onsen, telling her how Kagome and herself would bathe there often. Anna was the first to slip into the natural bath, the comforting waters hugging her body, trails of steam snaking around her face.

"How's the water?" Sango asked as she untied her kimono.

Anna glimpsed around the area briefly before replying, "It's fine. It has a slightly different atmosphere from Funbari's."

Moving into the onsen, Sango started tying her long raven hair up. "What is Funbari anyway?"

"It's the area where Yoh and I reside. We live in an old motel and pay the rent out for it."

The itako's reply caused Sango to falter. "You even live together?"

"Yes," Anna answered as if it were to big deal. "I'm going to rebuild the motel into my own business someday."

"Hn… So that's why you were so interested in comparing onsens then?"

Anna closed her eyes. "It's part of the reason." Lifting her eyelids, she saw Sango raised out of the onsen, just enough to tug the towels closer to the bath. It was at that point when Anna was able to see a jagged mark on her back; a mark that Kagome had seen so many times before.

Sango felt the other girl's gaze on her. She turned her head just enough to look back at Anna. "Did you… see the scar?"

Anna nodded somberly. "From your brother?"

Dismissing the fact that Anna was able to guess so easily, Sango sunk back into the water. "Mm… I still can't believe how quickly I lost everything. My village, my family…" She grimaced. "My father doesn't even know about what happened to Kohaku that day. Sometimes I wish he were here, so that I could tell him what Naraku did to us."

Anna watched Sango, brooding over her past. It was clear to her that the mark on Sango's back wasn't the only scar the she had. So Anna proposed, "Do you want to see him again?"

Sango's gaze darted up to Anna's face. The taiji-ya's own visage was showing signs of shock and confusion. "What?"

Leaning back against the edge of the onsen, Anna blinked slowly. "I can bring him back for you."

"But… how?"

"I'm an itako, remember? I can summon any spirit I choose no matter where they are. That includes your father's. So," she eyed Sango, "do you want me to do it?"

Sango was staring at her wide-eyed, still recovering from the initial shock of what Anna just said she could do for her. Her expression became solemn as she replied, "I'd appreciate it if you would."

"All right then."

- -

Lyserg had left the village behind to think. What about, he wasn't exactly sure of himself. It mostly consisted of a merge of the previous events that happened while he was in the Sengoku Jidai with the others. This process was interrupted however, as he spotted a figure crouching down behind some bushes. He recognized the being as Kagome's monk friend. What he was doing there though, was unknown to Lyserg.

So he approached him. "Excuse me."

Miroku whipped his head around at the sound of another voice. Seeing Lyserg, right away he grabbed at his cloak, yanking the boy down behind the bushes with him. This in turn startled him, but Miroku pressed a finger to his own lips and hissed, "Shhh!"

Bemused, Lyserg searched through the bushes and found what the monk was looking at. Anna and Sango were standing in a clearing together, Anna holding her beads in her right hand. Curious, Lyserg began to observe the scene along with Miroku.

Stretching her arm out, she began to chant, swinging the beads side to side. "One I place for my father. Two I place for my mother. Three I place for my brothers back home. Here I offer my flesh to aid your soul's release. Hear my voice at world's end and arise. Hear the sounds of my prayer beads and draw nigh." The temperature changed as a breeze softly blew by. Anna fell into a trance in order to communicate with the spirit world, hands manipulating her sapphire beads. She held the encirclement out, spirit flames appearing all around her as the three onlookers observed the séance. Gradually, the flames came together into the shape of a person.

The figure became defined as a male emerged from the congregation, wearing a uniform which resembled that of Sango's battle attire. When everything was set, the being opened his eyes, surprised by the sight before him. "Sango…!"

Amazed, Sango breathed, "Father, is it really you?"

The spirit removed the mask around his face. "Yes, but… how?"

It was such an overwhelming experience for Sango. How incredible it was to see and be able to speak to her father once again. To answer his question, she informed him, "Anna-chan brought you back with her itako skills."

"Oh, I see." He turned to the aforementioned girl. "Thank you for letting me see my daughter again."

Anna stood to the side placidly. "It was nothing."

"Father, I have to tell you… about what happened that night at the lord's castle." Sango told her about all the misfortune that had occurred that night; who was responsible, Kohaku, and what she was doing to cope with it now.

"I see. So this Naraku was behind it all?" her father muttered with distaste in his voice.

"Yes." Sango could feel a familiar pressure in her eyes.

"Sango, calm down."

"But –!"

"Sango!" Her father snapped before cooling down himself. He looked at her with steady eyes. "Sango, do you know why you were the best taiji-ya in the village?" Not getting a reply, he continued, "It wasn't just because you were my daughter. It was because you were a strong person, both physically and mentally. This is just one more challenge you have to face."

"But Kohaku –"

"This is why I'm telling you this, Sango," her father said firmly. "You'll be able to get Kohaku back; I believe in you. It also seems you've met some friends who support you completely."

Sango lowered her head. "I do."

"Then don't worry. No matter what happens, Kohaku will be fine," he assured her. "Understand?"

She took a deep breath and let it go before answering, "Yes, Father."

Deciding to leave the two alone for some private time, Anna left the clearing, coming up beside a startled Miroku and Lyserg. She glanced sideways at them. "What are you doing here?"

Miroku was looking anxious. "Uh… um…"

Not bothering to wait for a proper answer, Anna wrapped her familiar beads around the monk's throat, strolling off while he was dragged behind gagging. "Quit spying on her." She paused to glimpse back at Lyserg, who was still in awe at her treatment of Miroku. He started when her gaze set on him. "Lyserg," she addressed him. "If you want – when we get back, I can bring your parents back as well."

Lyserg stared at her, surprised that she suggested this to him. A new layer was added to his impression of the itako. "Thank you." Anna turned back around, continuing her route with a strangled Miroku, Lyserg following behind.

- - Present Japan - - -

"I'm going!" Kagome announced the next morning as she shut the door behind her. "Eh?" When she was out the door, Kagome spotted three girls walking around the area. They all appeared different, but the seemed to be there together nonetheless. There were two young girls, and one older one. One of the younger had short pink hair, while the other had flowing blue tresses. The third was wearing a Chinese dress, her dark green hair pinned up.

The pink-haired girl noticed Kagome standing outside, so she came up to her and said, "Um… excuse me, can you help us?"

"Um, okay. What is it you need?" The young girl's company came to join them.

"We're looking for my brother and his friends," the blue-haired girl stated.

"Your brother? Hm…" Kagome's eyebrows contracted in thought. She was glancing over the girl in front of her, wondering where she's seen someone like her before. "Ah! Are you Horohoro-kun's sister?"

Pilica's eyes widened with surprise. "You know my brother?"

"Yes, we met yesterday." Kagome shifted her focus. "And you must be Ren-kun's older sister."

"Yes. You met Ren as well?"

Kagome nodded. She looked at Tamao. "And you're… um…"

"Oh, I-I'm not related to any of them. I'm Tamamura Tamao; an apprentice under Yoh-sama's family."

"Oh," Kagome blinked. "You call him Yoh-sama? Wow, you must really respect him."

"Y-Yes," Tamao blushed.

"So where are they?" Pilica asked the miko.

"Oh, um… that's a long story…" So Kagome told them all about the others, the well, how they came to be there, and why they were going to be joining them for a while. The girls seemed to accept this explanation; after all, they did believe in the spiritual.

"Wow, so they're really in the Sengoku Jidai?" Pilica voiced with wonder.

"We were worried because our brothers told us they would let us know when they reached Yoh-kun's," Jun explained.

"I just wanted to see everyone," Tamao admitted. "It's nice of Yoh-sama to offer his help."

"Yes," Kagome smiled. "We appreciate it."

"Please tell them we came by," Jun requested politely.

"I will."

With that, the three girls said their goodbyes and left Kagome alone again. The time-traveling girl paused, watching the trio leave while thinking about their families. Before long though, she remembered what she was supposed to be doing, and right away sprinted for the well.

Emerging though the other side, she saw Inuyasha there waiting for her expected return. "Yo."

"Hi, Inuyasha." Kagome swung her legs over the ledge.

They walked together back to the village where the others were waiting for them.

"Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

Sango glanced at Anna, momentarily considering if she should tell Kagome what the itako did for her.

"Ren beat up Inuyasha!" Horohoro suddenly exclaimed.

"I wasn't beaten up!" Inuyasha protested hotly.

Kagome stared at him. "You were beaten up?"

"I said I wasn't!"

"Right," Ren gave him another smirk. "You just lost."

"What was that?"

"Oh, that reminds me," Kagome chirped. "Your sisters came to the shrine wondering where you were."

"Our sisters?" Ren and Horohoro chorused together.

"Yes, and… oh, Tamao-chan," she directed her attention to Yoh.

"Tamao came?" Manta blinked.

"Mm. She wanted to see all of you." Kagome tilted her head thoughtfully. "I told them where you were and that everything was fine. They seemed pretty relieved."

Sango smiled, commenting, "It's always nice to know that your family is all right."

Lyserg nodded. He agreed wholeheartedly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Me: Hm… I'm beginning to wonder if the chapter title really fits anymore. Maybe I should have made it to include Lyserg; but then that would have been a really long title! Well, good enough.

Sorry if anything seemed awkward in the chapter, like… well, I don't know, lots of stuff; but I expect you would know if there was anything wrong. See you… in another nine months! Lol.


	5. Helping Hands

Me: Wow… just over two and a half years since the last update. Ahaha… yes, it's taken that long for me to finish this chapter. A renewed interest in "Shaman King" doesn't hurt either.

Disclaimer: "Shaman King" is property of Hiroyuki Takei, TV Tokyo, Viz Media, etc.  
"InuYasha" is property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise, Yomiuri TV, Viz Media, etc.

* * *

Chapter 5: Helping Hands

"Hmn…" Inuyasha set his amber orbs on the expanded group in front of him. "There's so many of us here now."

"Ah, do you think we should split up?" Yoh guessed at what the hanyou was thinking.

Inuyasha blinked. "Huh? No, not really –"

Miroku however was already considering this option. "Hm… I wonder if that would be a wise idea. There are quite a few of us. Maybe we should take advantage of it by splitting up."

Sango looked dubious. "Are you sure of that, Houshi-sama?"

He nodded. "We'll split them between us since we know the area better and will travel in different directions."

So that's how it was, though it really wasn't Inuyasha's intention in the first place. One group consisted of Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Yoh, Manta, Anna, and Ryu. The other therefore was made up of Miroku, Sango, Kirara, Lyserg, Ren, and Horohoro.

Ryu lamented as the team he was in began their journey. "Ah… I feel a bit sad that Lyserg couldn't come with us…"

Manta gave him a slight pitying look. "Ryu-san, you're the still the same, aren't you?"

Yoh glanced back over his shoulder. "Would you rather have gone with Lyserg?" he asked Ryu with a carefree grin.

"Ah, no!" Ryu waved his hand. "Being on Danna's team is important to me too."

"Is that so?" Yoh laughed.

Manta watched Yoh a bit apprehensively. "Yoh-kun, aren't you worried about the Shaman Fight?"

"Hm? What for?"

"Well, what if it begins while we're here?"

"I don't think that'll happen. If the Great Spirit really is so great, the fight wouldn't start again while we're here helping others."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Not really, but I think it's better to think of the best scenarios rather than the worst."

"Simple thinking for an easy life, huh?" Manta chuckled. "I guess they go hand in hand."

"Even though Danna wants an easy life, I'm sure he'll be able to make the world a great place for everyone!"

"Yeah… It's not just my life I want to make easier."

Manta noticed Yoh's expression change when he said that. It was an empathetic gaze that when Manta followed, found it lead to the itako. He wondered what it meant.

"This is annoying," Inuyasha grumbled as he, Kagome and Shippo lead the way.

"What is?" Shippo inquired.

"Having to walk; usually Kirara and I would carry you guys quickly first and then we'd start walking."

"Well there really isn't anything we can do about that is there?" Kagome answered with finality. "More over Inuyasha, why are you speaking so quietly?"

The hanyou lowered his head shamefully to whisper, "I don't want _her_ to hear."

"You're really sad, aren't you? Complaining about walking; like a child."

"Ah, it seems she heard you anyway," Shippo quipped.

If they weren't so furry it might have been possible to witness Inuyasha's ears burning. He spun around to retort, "I'm not complaining about walking, I just don't like that we're moving at such a slow pace!"

"Oh, really?" Anna replied as though it meant nothing to her. "Then why didn't you just say so?"

Kagome began to question how they would be able to travel more quickly, but Ryu shook his finger and said not to worry, suggesting to Inuyasha that he should take Kagome and Shippo ahead first.

"I don't think this is good," Kagome worried as she clung to a sprinting Inuyasha. "What if we end up losing each other?"

"Keh, they were the ones who wanted us to go ahead."

"But still…"

There was a great rush of wind that blew past them, and for a moment Kagome thought she was hallucinating when she saw what appeared to be the Yamata no Orochi on wheels speeding ahead of them. Yoh popped up from atop the Over Soul and waved at their rapidly shrinking forms. Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo were left behind, stunned at the appearance of Ryu's Over Soul and the fact that they were ditched.

Shippo tugged on Inuyasha's hair and scolded, "Inuyasha! Hurry up or we'll lose them!"

"I-I know that!"

By the time Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo had caught up with the others, Ryu, Yoh, Manta and Anna had already stopped off at a nearby village. They were waiting for them just at the outskirts.

"So you finally made it," Ryu teased.

"Sh-Shut up!" Inuyasha panted slightly, having overexerted himself to reach them.

"That was amazing though." Kagome was still in awe of the newly revealed ability. "What was that?"

Ryu puffed his chest. "That was the Yamata no Orochi – my Over Soul," he said proudly. Holding out a flower to Kagome he added, "It warms my heart to know that you found it to be astounding. If you like, next time I could give you a ride."

"Yeah, right!" Inuyasha came between the two. "Kagome always goes with _me_, so you can forget it."

A questioning look crossed Ryu's face. "But you're so slow…"

Inuyasha immediately raised his hand as if to attack Ryu with his claws, but Kagome stopped him with an, "Osuwari," before he could connect.

"Oh, so that's how she disciplines him," Anna observed. "I knew there had to be something to keep that horrible attitude of his in order."

Yoh nodded his head. "So it seems."

"Grr…" Inuyasha lifted his eyes from the ground, dragging a fist across the dirt. 'These two!!'

The group spent the rest of the time at the village looking around and exploring. It wasn't often that the Shaman part of the group got to see a village from the Sengoku Jidai, so they were comparing the differences and similarities between this village and Kaede's. Currently however, Yoh and Anna were more interested in the trinkets that were being sold in the market area. Inuyasha and Kagome watched them from afar as the youths eyed the wares before them.

Kagome smiled thoughtfully as Yoh pointed something out to Anna on the table. "You know, they really do look like a couple; shopping together like that."

Inuyasha shrugged and gave her a remark that showed he didn't really notice, nor did he really care. Kagome sighed dejectedly. 'If he can't even recognize a couple right in front of him, how is he going to…'

"Hey!" Anna was calling to Kagome.

"Uh – yes?"

"We need some money."

This caused a heated reaction in Inuyasha. "What? You want to spend _our_ money on those stupid things?"

"Look who's calling what stupid," retorted Anna. "As hosts it is common courtesy to treat your guests to something."

"Guests!?" he fumed. "You all just fell down the well with Kagome and ended up here!"

In response to that, Anna said, "Osuwari," which caused Inuyasha to flinch. Then he realized that nothing had happened because Anna was the one that said it. He started to laugh but then stopped abruptly when the itako threw her beads around him and yanked him to the ground.

Meanwhile Ryu was meandering by himself, admiring all the pretty girls that lived in this village. Whenever he felt the need to go up to one of them, he would spot another and not know where to start.

Ryu sighed happily. "Ah… the Sengoku Jidai isn't so bad after all. Hm?" He was passing by an alleyway when he heard a noise coming from it.

"Stop! Give her back!"

"Her? You're talking about this stuffed cat like it's real!" A boy was dangling the toy over a little girl's head in a sad game of keep-away.

"That's so stupid!" another boy jeered.

"No it's not! Give her to me!" She ignored the tears forming in her eyes, arms outstretched futilely to her kitten.

He held the cat higher. "Come and take it!"

"Hey! Give her back the cat."

The boys looked up at a dark figure, a pointed beard and hair jutting out, towering over them ominously. Behind him glowed a green aura, coming up in flames as if to show his temper.

"Waaahhhhh!" The two boys stumbled back. "A monster! It's a monster!" Running off they dropped the plush kitten, which was then picked up and dusted off.

He turned around, the apparent darkness and queer aura instantly disappearing. "Here you are, Miss!" Ryu presented brightly.

The young girl blinked at him, wondering what had happened just now. She took her precious stuffed cat into her arms and squeezed it tightly. Eyes drying of tears looked up at him. "Thank you, Onii-chan."

"Aw, it was nothing!" Ryu gushed. "You're so cute I couldn't bear to see those imps bully you. Say…"

"Ryu?"

The pompadour boy looked to the start of the ally when he heard his name and saw Manta standing there looking in on him.

"Bye-bye, Onii-chan!"

Ryu looked back over his shoulder to find that the girl was already on her merry way, waving back at him with a smile. He slouched in disappointment, an opportunity to employ her company having slipped through his fingers.

Manta came up to him and raised an eyebrow. "What were you doing?"

Beside Ryu, Tokagero materialized in full form and said apathetically, "He helped some little girl get her stuffed toy back."

Ryu sighed heavily before bringing his attention to the short boy. "Why are you here, Manta?"

"Yoh-kun and Anna-san were looking at stuff in the shops so I thought I'd leave them to it."

Straightening his posture, Ryu replied, "You're not interested in looking at that?"

Unsure and subdued, Manta's eyes wandered as he spoke. "That's not exactly it. I've done things with Yoh and Anna before, like when we first met. It's just that sometimes it seems there are times when they should be by themselves."

Ryu closed his eyes and put a hand under his chin to show that he was thinking. "Hmm… Ah, the third wheel, is it? Well, it can't be helped. It's because it's them after all."

"Them?" echoed Manta uncertainly. "You mean… because of their engagement?"

"That's probably part of it; but for something like that to work, they actually have to feel something, right?" He may not have much luck with the ladies, but Ryu definitely knew something about relationships – surprisingly.

In all the time Manta had known Yoh and Anna, he had only been witness to few hints of their connection; though in big ways, and stranger still mainly because Anna chose to divulge them.

- - -

Without Kagome as a guide for seeking out shards of the Shikon no Tama, the group was relying on Lyserg's dowsing skills to lead them. While the boy was uncertain that he would be able to find a shard within range, Sango assured him that doing his best would be fine since it was their only lead.

"You know, the Sengoku Jidai doesn't seem so bad," Horohoro commented as they paced along the dirt path.

"Sure, if you don't mind the constant war and youkai running amuck," Ren replied sarcastically.

Indignant, Horohoro retorted, "That's not what I meant! What I like is how the area isn't so industrialized like in the future. Concrete, huge buildings, pollution… all the stuff taking over nature isn't here."

"Yes, it's like that in a lot of places," Lyserg agreed. "Even though I don't know Japan as well as England, I'm sure those problems are the same."

"England?" Sango echoed. "Is that the place you're from?"

Lyserg nodded. "Yes. As you can probably tell I'm not Japanese. I'm British, but specifically English. I'm from England, which is about northeast of…"

"Of the mainland," Ren finished for him.

Horohoro muttered to himself, "The mainland…"

"Where China is, you dolt."

"Oh, right!" the Ainu laughed. "Of course you would know – wait, what'd you call me!?"

Paying no mind to the bickering which ensued between the two shamans, Sango continued to show an interest in Lyserg's background.

"I think I've heard Kagome-chan talking about her English class before. It's one of her worst subjects apparently."

Grinning, Lyserg said, "Yes, that's the primary language we speak there."

"Is England like Tokyo?"

"Well England's Tokyo would be London. There's a big clock tower there nicknamed Big Ben. That's where I found Morphine." On cue, the pink fairy-like spirit flew into sight, spinning around Lyserg affectionately.

Happy to learn of how the two's meeting, Sango replied with a smile, "That's great."

"Mhmm… but afterwards…" Lyserg's face fell. "That's when I found my parents…"

Sango's own expression showed sympathy for the change in the conversation. "Lyserg-kun…"

The boy gazed up at her with rejuvenated resolve. He wasn't about to let mulling over the past cloud his judgment. "But, I know what I have to do now… and I have my friends to support me."

As she recalled their discussion from the previous day, Sango smiled. "That's right."

Walking just behind them was Miroku, bits of Sango and Lyserg's exchange trailing through the air to reach his ears. They were sure getting along well for having only known one another a few days. It was beginning to occur to Miroku that Lyserg was garnering a kind of attention from Sango that the monk usually didn't receive himself. While he pondered this, his sight traveled down to a certain point on Sango, wiping his mind of earlier thoughts. 'Well, while she's steeped in conversation…' he thought pleasantly to himself, and reached an eager hand…

"What are you doing?"

Miroku's hand abruptly stopped short of its target. He pulled it back quickly before turning to the two shaman boys behind him. "Ah, what do you mean?"

With an expression of contempt, Horohoro said, "It looked like you were going to feel her up."

"What?" Miroku feigned ignorance. "Oh no, I –"

"Really, you're worse than Ryu." Ren pulled out Houraiken and pointed it at the monk threateningly. "I should cut you to pieces right now."

Putting his hands up in defense, Miroku spluttered, "Hey, hey, no need to be so violent!"

Though it really wasn't a time for jokes, a notion came to Horohoro and he joshed whimsically, "Aha, I guess it's a good thing your sister isn't here, right Ren?"

The point of Ren's hair jerked slightly, an enraged burn possessing his eyes. "Kisama!" He redirected his weapon at Horohoro. "How dare you talk about my sister in front of this lecher!"

"But it's true, right?" Horohoro continued despite himself. "People think your sister is pretty; and besides, this guy can't be much older than her."

Ren's lips pursed sporadically as though he were chewing words which he deemed unworthy to successfully scathe Horohoro in a way he desired. Then the movement of his lips paused, and instead took the form of a smirk. He lowered his head to look at him defiantly and murmured, "What about _your_ sister, huh?"

Uncertain of these words, Horohoro blinked. "What?"

Knowing he had him hooked, Ren pushed. "How do you know he's not a freaky pedophile? He did ask Anna to 'bear his children' after all."

The indistinct look on Horohoro's face slowly twisted into one of horror and disgust.

"H-Hey, wait a minute." Miroku was certain he was sinking into deeper trouble, and had backed up in precaution.

Flashes of light from their released spirits took him by surprise, and he reeled backwards with a yelp as the boys shouted, "You're dead!"

As Miroku flung his arms over his head in an attempt to shield himself, Sango exclaimed, "Houshi-sama!" Her voice stopped the assault that would have pummeled him, the three now looking up to see what had caught Sango's attention.

Ahead of them three village women had stumbled from the forest. Following their appearance was a group of ragged men in tarnished armor, wielding blades and grabbing at the screaming females.

Miroku frowned at the sight and bitterly muttered, "Bandits." He prepared to sprint towards them but stopped short when Ren and Horohoro ran past him.

A flying jump kick courtesy of Ren fended off the huddle of bandits closest to the girls. He landed in front of them and extended Houraiken. "Fn, I don't even have to use Hyoui Gattai to get rid of these peons."

Horohoro swung a glowing Ikupasui across to blow the bandits backward. "Yeah, yeah, you're so great," he said sardonically.

"You darn brats!" The men made to charge at Horohoro and Ren, weapons raised in the air.

A wire sprung forth and zipped across their path, shooting around the group to ensnare them. The wire grew taught, and held the men packed together so they were rendered immobile. Standing close by, Lyserg held his arm outstretched, and pulled on the wire so they could feel it compress painfully into their skin. "If you don't want to bleed, then I suggest you leave," he stated without batting an eye. Retracting the wire, the bandits gasped and cursed before sending the group dirty looks and retreating into the forest.

Sighing in relief, Horohoro undid his Over Soul and pocketed Ikupasui. "Man, what a group; chasing after women like that."

Ren continued to watch the place where they had escaped. "There are people like that no matter what the time period."

"Thank you so much!" The women they had rescued were brimming with adoration for the boys' heroic efforts.

"Oh, haha…" Horohoro rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It was no problem."

"Are you alright?" asked Ren to the women.

"Yes, thanks to you!" replied the woman closest to him.

"You're pretty strong for how young you are," remarked another. "And your hair is coloured too… how interesting." She reached out a hand to examine Lyserg's green stands, placing the boy in an awkward situation.

"Say, do you have a place to spend the night?" the final girl inquired ardently. "You stay at our village if you like."

"Oh wow, really?" Horohoro's subsequent laughter came out unnaturally in the presence of the females' praise.

In the background stood Sango, with Kirara on her shoulder, and Miroku; watching the shaman boys get showered with affection from their newfound admirers.

Sango felt her own admiration for the trio grow. "They're pretty impressive, aren't they?"

Miroku continued to stare at the group in front of him with a pout. "Pretty lucky if you ask me."

- - -

"Th-This is really creepy."

Anna gave Manta a sideways glance. "What are you saying? You've been cut open by Faust and attacked by his skeletons. You think an abandoned battlefield of immobile bones wearing broken armor is scary?"

He rubbed his hands together nervously and shrunk back. "Ah, well… when you put it that way…"

"I know what you mean, Manta," You said from beside him. "These skeletons used to be living people. That is a pretty scary thought."

Kagome stepped closer, debris cracking under her shoes from the trodden ground. "I've been coming to the Sengoku Jidai for a while now, but seeing things such as this still unsettles me…" she mused.

The group was overlooking an abandoned battlefield, littered with remains from soldiers who had not made it though the fight that had occurred there. A cool wind was blowing, ruffling the feathers of crows that had come scavenging for bits of metal that caught their eye. The birds weren't the only ones making use of the available relics.

Inuyasha was wading through the skeletons, occasionally shifting them as he made his way. He stopped midway when a shine caught his eye, and reached down to drag the cause up. After a brief appraisal, he approved of it, and went to rejoin the others. Upon approaching Yoh, he held out what he had found to him and said, "Here."

"Eh?" Yoh looked at what was presented to him; a katana that Inuyasha had foraged from the bony army.

"You need a weapon, right? I can't let you take Tessaiga from me whenever you need to fight."

The headphone wearing boy glanced between Inuyasha and the sword her held, before finally reaching both hands out to accept it. "Ah, thank you." He pointed up towards the sky and observed the blade. "What do you think, Amidamaru?"

The samurai spirit spun into visibility, his face solemn. "I don't wish to use the blade of a fallen soldier."

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha said irritably. "It's not like he's going to need it."

"I'm sorry, but…" Amidamaru fell silent. He remembered having a conversation like this with his friend Mosuke when they were younger. Even though years had passed since then, he wasn't comfortable with changing his principles.

Yoh turned from his spirit ally to Inuyasha. He held the katana back to him. "I apologize, but I don't think we can use this after all."

Inuyasha riled. "What?"

"If Amidamaru doesn't want to use it, then I'm not going to force him into doing something he doesn't want to."

Amidamaru glanced at him, touched by his empathy. "Yoh-dono…"

Further incensed, the hanyou demanded, "How are you going to protect yourselves without a weapon then?"

Shrugging with a slight grin, Yoh answered, "It'll work out somehow."

Inuyasha dragged a hand down his face exasperatedly. He snatched the katana from Yoh's grasp and threw it back amidst the field of bones with a snap of his wrist. "Honestly, you people…"

"It's a good thing I brought my bokuto along," Ryu interjected as he surveyed the scene. "I imagine it'd be harder to find one of those lying around."

Sighing miserably, Inuyasha suddenly became rigid when he sensed a pair of cool eyes on him. He was beginning to find it necessary to brace himself before addressing the levelheaded girl. Turning to her, he forced out, "What about you?"

Anna barely moved as she acknowledged him. "Does it look like I need something?"

His face twitched with familiar indignation. Wheeling about-face his mind screeched, 'I knew it was pointless to ask her!'

Pitying him, Manta laughed slightly. "Anna can be surprisingly strong, actually. Not just her itako powers, but her hand – ACK!" Manta feel on his back as a sandaled foot struck his face.

Shifting her gaze from his bowled over form, Anna spoke, "Don't talk about unnecessary things."

"Ah…" Manta struggled to sit up. "Her foot, too…"

Shippo knelt beside him understandingly. "I know how you feel. Inuyasha picks on me too." The young kitsune shook his head. "He can be such a brute."

"What was that!?" Inuyasha came up to glower behind him, looking ready to knock some sense into Shippo.

"Inuyasha, stop that!" Kagome grabbed the shoulder of his haori to ease him away.

Yoh smiled at the scene Shippo, Inuyasha, and Kagome were making. "They fight just like Ren and the others do. It's comforting," he chuckled.

Anna sighed exasperatedly. "Really…" She looked back at the littered field and narrowed her eyes. The souls of the soldiers had managed to cross to the other side. Good, that meant fewer problems for her. Even though the land was free of foreign spectral beings however, she still felt the grief that naturally came with war. It was unpleasant.

Something shimmered in the distance, and Anna squinted to see a fluttering form sulking amidst the skeletons. "Yoh, over there."

The boy looked to where Anna was pointing and saw it too. Cupping his hands beside his mouth he hollered, "Hey!" startling the others and the spirit he had called.

The form gazed about itself to make sure he was being called. Then he floated towards them, his shape becoming clearer. The spirit of the fallen soldier was hesitant as he replied, "Y-You can see me?"

"Of course," Yoh replied naturally. "You're a ghost, right? What's your name?"

"I'm… I'm Keitaro."

"A ghost?" Kagome whispered. "Of one of these soldiers?" Her eyes darted from the ghost to the mass of skeletons.

"Why are you still here?" Anna probed the soldier.

Keitaro's expression grew dreary, and he sobbed, "I can't… go anywhere. I was engaged to a girl named Miaka before I went to battle. We had a fight just before I left. She didn't want me to go, but I had to help defend my people." He rubbed a sleeve across his watering eyes. "Now I'm dead, and I still can't bear the fact that I left things like that with her."

Manta looked at him sympathetically. "So that's how it is…"

"I don't want to leave this world without seeing her, but I'm afraid of what I'll see if I go," he continued. "Will she be with someone else? Will she be in pain?" Keitaro's hands clenched as streaks of tears slipped down his face.

This painful association of love connected deep within Ryu. Collecting himself, he said, "But you want to makeup with her, right?" When he got the attention he wanted, he balled one of his hands into a fist and pumped it dramatically, voice full of vigor. "If she's moved on and is happy, be glad for her; if she's in pain, comfort her. As long as she lives in happiness and remembers you, that's what counts!"

Keitaro's teary eyes blinked at Ryu before he turned to stare at the ground. "You say those things, but… it's not like I can speak to her…"

"Of course you can!" insisted Ryu. "We're shaman, so we can help you. Right, Danna? Okami?" He turned to the ones who had introduced him to the shaman life.

Yoh smiled approvingly. "Yeah."

"Hang on, we don't have time to stop and help every ghost we see!" Inuyasha interjected forcibly. "Don't you remember how Nara-"

"We know," Anna interrupted him mid-sentence. "But think about the other person. How would you feel if someone you loved was dead and you didn't get a chance to tell them how you really feel?"

Inuyasha faltered but held his gaze with Anna's. As she stared at him, it felt like the itako could see right through him; into what was buried deep within his soul. He broke away from it with a shake and conceded. "Fine… we'll go."

Kagome had demurely been observing the hanyou during his exchange with Anna. She wondered if he had thought about _her_ when Anna said those words.

"Great!" Ryu was ecstatic as he faced Keitaro. "Lead the way!"

The village Keitaro belonged to turned out to be quite a ways off, and by the time they had arrived the sun was already beginning to set. Ignoring the strange looks they received for their appearance, the group was lead deeper into the village as Keitaro hovered around several corners and swept down the pathways. The house Miaka resided in was of modest stature, surrounded by a small wooden gate that could easily be climbed over. Beside the house was a sheltered open space occupied by an anvil and several tools lying against a wall.

They continued on to the main building and knocked on the door. It didn't open, but a male voice from behind answered, "Yes?"

"Hi, is Miaka home?" asked Ryu.

Suddenly the door swung open, and they had to step back as a man appeared before them, brandishing a scythe. Shaking it at them, he bellowed, "Why don't you boys leave my daughter alone!?"

"W-Wait!" Ryu waved his hands in front of him frantically. "We're friends of her fiancé!"

A new voice, a feminine voice, spoke from behind the man with the scythe. "Keitaro?" The figure of a young woman shuffled into view, and the man who was her father stepped aside. Her pretty features appeared tired, and her emerald green yukata was wrinkled. "You knew Keitaro?"

"Yes," Manta's reply echoed from below. "He told us about what happened between the two of you before he left for battle."

Familiar grief overtook Miaka's expression and her voice shook as she spoke. "When I heard he was dead, I didn't know what to do…"

Ryu leant forward and proposed gently, "Would you want to speak to him again if you had the chance?"

Her eyes shone through a well of tears. "Wh-What?"

"We're shamans," Ryu jutted a thumb at himself proudly, "and we can make it happen."

"Enough of this!" Miaka's father pushed an arm in front of her protectively. "Who are you people, coming here to distress my daughter further!? Can't you see she's – "

"Father, wait."

He looked back at his daughter questioningly. "Miaka?"

There was a determination on her face that one would think couldn't have occurred on the previously sorrow girl. "If what these people say is true… I'd want to do it. There have been so many suitors already trying to ask for my hand…" She gazed up at them. "If I can talk to Keitaro… I just might be able to move on."

"Then it's settled," Anna said firmly before the others could react. She looked over at Keitaro. "Are you ready?"

Keitaro started. "Y-Yes." He had been told beforehand by Ryu that he would need to possess either himself or Yoh. Now presented with acting on this decision, Keitaro glanced between the two. Ryu… was a bit too strange in appearance for him to want to speak to his fiancée through. Yoh on the other hand was rather young… Finally reaching a decision, Keitaro took a deep breath before he moved towards Yoh. As soon as he did however, he suddenly felt something pull back on him, swinging his spirit over to fall into Ryu's body.

There was a flash before it died down to a glow, and Ryu's body stood still. All eyes were on him as Ryu's head lifted slowly to gaze at Miaka. His voice was different as he whispered, "… Miaka?"

Though it was Ryu's form before her, all Miaka could see was her fiancé. She stepped towards him with trembling lips. "… Keitaro?" Her hands rested upon Ryu's, and he took them into his own.

Ryu's face contorted with poignant delight and he pursed his mouth. Keitaro spoke though him, "Miaka… I'm sorry we fought before I left."

The expression on Miaka reflected that of Ryu's as she shook her head. "I know you were only doing what you thought had to be done." She wiped away the tears welling in her eyes and sniffed. "That's the kind of man I fell in love with."

For the first time since they met him the group saw Keitaro smile. He reached a hand to cup the side of his fiancée's face, fingers entangling in her dark hair. "I'm so glad I've been given the chance to speak to you again." Keitaro placed his forehead against her own. "I'm going to miss you."

Miaka closed her eyes and sighed wearily. "I already miss you…"

After the two had their time together, Keitaro departed for the spirit world. Miaka thanked the shamans for their kind gesture, her mood considerably brighter.

"Anything for love." Ryu gave her a thumbs up and winked. "I was honored to be the host for your fiancé, Miaka-chan."

Miaka's father pushed his way forward brazenly. "Hey boy, just because you relieved my daughter and Keitaro doesn't mean you have any leeway with her, understand?"

"Please sir, don't misunderstand!" protested Ryu.

Tokagero shook his head. 'I really wonder sometimes…'

Choosing not to instigate the old man's vehemence further, he chucked nervously and addressed Yoh instead. "But, it had been a while since I've been possessed like that."

"Yeah," nodded Yoh. "Not since Tokagero I think."

"You're pretty easy to possess," the former bandit said matter-of-factly about his shaman partner.

A twitch of annoyance appeared on Ryu's face. "Hey, what's with that comment?"

"It's probably different now," laughed Manta.

Standing further away from the entrance of Miaka's home, Inuyasha was lost in thought. A hand tapped him on the shoulder to bring him back to reality, and he looked round to find Kagome smiling next.

"That wasn't so bad, was it Inuyasha?"

He blinked at her as he thought about this, and returned his gaze to the front as he answered, "I guess not…"

Kagome tilted her head at his response. She was sure there was something else behind it. Past Inuyasha she spotted Anna, watching over Ryu and the others by herself. She joined her placidly; a curious question had been on her mind since earlier. While watching the others, Kagome nonchalantly asked, "Anna-chan, why did you make Keitaro possess Ryu-san instead of Yoh-kun?"

Anna closed her eyes calmly. "Even if he's possessed, I don't want to see Yoh speaking to another girl like that."

Kagome couldn't help but smile a little, admiring the younger girl's honest feelings. 'Even a girl like Anna-chan can get jealous, huh?'

"And if he ever does…" Anna's eyes snapped open to reveal a burning flame within them. "He'll be in for the most unbearable pain imaginable."

"A-Ah…" Maybe Kagome needed some time to reevaluate her assessment of the itako.

"Yoh-kun, are you okay?" Manta noticed his best friend seize up for a moment.

"Y-Yeah," Yoh replied, though he still appeared shaken and held his arms close to himself. "I just felt cold all of a sudden…"

* * *

Me: This might not have been the update people were expecting, but I don't want to rush the plot. (Yes, even though there has been a massive hiatus since the last chapter; so sad.) Anyway, there are a couple of slight hints within the chapter of things to come, so it should be okay.


	6. A Meeting and a Parting

A/N: Finished collecting the "Shaman King" kanzenban volumes… more "InuYasha" anime this autumn… New chapter time!

Wow, it took nearly two years to complete this chapter. It's a bit shorter than the previous one, but I've decided length shouldn't dictate what goes into a chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: "Shaman King" is property of Hiroyuki Takei, TV Tokyo, Viz Media, etc.  
"InuYasha" is property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise, Yomiuri TV, Viz Media, etc.

* * *

Chapter 6: A Meeting and a Parting

The three boys were sure that in another life Miroku could make an excellent living as a con artist. Here they were yet again taking advantage of the fruits of that possibility. Of course, they couldn't really complain. At least this time there actually was a youkai to be purged. It was most likely due to the fact that a princess resided here. Demons seemed to particularly take a liking to princesses. The same went for Miroku – as long as she was a beauty that is. She must have been, because the monk was currently spending some time with her while the others were waiting in their quarters for supper.

It was becoming very clear to the shamans that Miroku's entertainment of other women was something Sango deplored. Even now they could see this as Sango sat at the other side of the room with a brooding look on her face. Horohoro found the situation very uncomfortable. To him she looked like a bomb ready to go off at the slightest provocation. With very little experience with girls the Ainu had no idea how to safely diffuse her. This thought only once again reminded him of his lack of a girlfriend, causing him to internally whine.

Usually Ren was open to the idea of peace and quiet once in a while, but he found nothing peaceful about having to sit next to a fidgeting Horohoro while Sango sulked over Miroku's behaviour. Neither was the Chinese boy prone to keeping his own opinion to himself. If necessary he was only too happy to give others a piece of his mind. Perhaps it was because of this he chose to say to Sango, "Oi, if it bothers you why don't you say something?"

Sango gave him such a scathing look that one could imagine the intensity burning the floorboards around her. "_What_ bothers me?"

'What the – ?' Ren hadn't expected that kind of reaction.

'Gyaahhh~!' Horohoro mentally wailed with a cringe. 'That expression looks dangerously familiar!'

The taiji-ya jerked her gaze away from them with a "humph." Was it just her or were Miroku's "escapades" becoming more frequent as of late? Honestly, the way he chased after women made her think he didn't perceive them as actual human beings… couldn't he just settle for one girl? That last thought caused Sango to squirm. She wished Kagome were here. The schoolgirl was her pillar of comfort whenever Miroku was gallivanting about.

She felt someone come close to her and Sango opened her eyes to see Lyserg sitting beside her. The boy said nothing, but smiled, and somehow it eased Sango's mood. She returned the gesture with one of her own.

Horohoro leaned over to Ren and murmured, "Geez, is Lyserg really a boy?"

"Don't remind me of that time," Ren grumbled. He rose from where he was seated and moved toward the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Horohoro called after.

Ren's stout reply was, "Out. I'll be back by the time dinner arrives."

As soon as Ren had taken a few steps outside, Bason morphed into sight. As a loyal spirit, the warrior was sharp enough to note Ren's behaviour. "Bocchama, is something the matter?"

The youth sighed, unsure if he wanted to answer. "I'm simply agitated."

It had been nearly two weeks now since the shamans had begun their journey in the Sengoku Jidai and they had yet to come across any Shikon shards. Ren was beginning to think that either there weren't any Shikon shards around or they were too far away from any for Lyserg's dowsing to be effective. In addition, even though this Naraku character was supposedly a great schemer who constantly threw a wrench into their lives, the group had not met with him or his associates.

"This is all Yoh's fault." Ren stopped to stand a little ways down an embankment. "Offering his help to total strangers… We're wasting time being here."

Bason looked at the boy thoughtfully. "But Bocchama… you could have gone back if you wanted to when that girl did."

Ren stiffened slightly at the remark.

An overwhelming sense of adulation filled Bason as he gazed upon the young master. "You actually want to help them also, don't you?"

"Fn…" Ren closed his eyes and crossed his arms, but it didn't hide the smirk appearing on his lips. "The Sengoku Jidai is sure troublesome."

Suddenly someone was shouting behind him, and Ren was doused with something wet and cold. There stood the boy, drenched in salty water with daikon scattered about him and a wooden tub atop his head. Swiping the basin off, Ren swiveled round to see who dared do such a thing to the son of the Tao family.

Before him at the top of the embankment was a girl around his age, her arms outstretched toward him – an obvious sign that she was the culprit. She was gaping at him, but quickly composed herself when he looked at her. "I… I'm –"

"What do you think you're doing!?" The basin swung wildly in Ren's hand as he stomped up the embankment. Once he was eye level with the girl he barked, "You don't have to fill the container with liquid if you're just carrying it to eat!"

For a moment the girl blinked at his remark. Then her brow furrowed and she scowled. "What are you talking about!? You retain the flavour this way!"

"That's nonsense! It was pickled, of course it's going to have flavour!"

"It'll stay juicy!"

"You don't need the liquid!"

There didn't seem to be a point to continuing the discussion; so they simply glared at one another. Droplets of salted water dripped down Ren's face, and the girl once again became aware of what she had done. She wasn't going to try and apologize this time though. She simply snatched the basin out of Ren's hand and strode down the slope to pick up what she had dropped.

Ren glanced back and watched her pick up the daikon one by one, placing them in the basin. "I think either way the flavour is still ruined."

The girl held her tongue, picking up the last daikon before walking back up to the path. As she passed Ren, she muttered, "Go jump in the river." Twitching, he whirled about to deliver a slight of his own when she looked back at him over her shoulder. "Actually, better not." She smirked. "You might make the water salty."

When Ren returned to the others, he found them staring at him with wonder and surprise at his appearance. His usual pointed hair was down and damp, as were his clothes, and there was an odd scent radiating from him.

Horohoro blinked, wide-eyed. "Wha… what happened to you?"

"It's nothing." Ren plunked down into a corner close to the door.

"It sure doesn't look like nothing." Horohoro wrinkled his nose. "Doesn't smell like it either."

"I said it's nothing!" Ren snapped abruptly, taking Horohoro aback.

Lyserg and Sango exchanged uneasy glances.

"Say, Ren-kun…" Sango cautiously began, "you should probably take a bath."

"I'm not jumping in the river!" was the first reply that came to him. Afterward Ren caught himself, realizing how harsh and strange his response must have sounded. Indeed, the others looked quite alarmed. He muttered a quick apology before leaving to do as was suggested to him.

It was just one problem after another Ren thought as he stewed in a heated tub of water. Involuntarily coming to the Sengoku Jidai was first, followed by some minor (and in other cases non-existent) bumps along the journey. Being doused in daikon brine and assaulted by a petulant girl was just the latest in these affairs. Well, at least he wouldn't have to see her again.

That was what he thought until later that night. She came into their room along with several others to deliver their meals… and it just so happened that she was the one to set Ren's before him. When she had seen him and realized this, her initial surprise turned into a frown. With a controlled pace she strode and knelt to place his food. Ren watched as she did so, and was stunned when for a brief moment she glanced up to give him a sharp look. Somehow it made his supper less appealing.

"Something wrong with your food?" Horohoro mumbled through a mouthful of rice. He had seen Ren picking though his meal, and most noticeably gazing at the daikon resting on his plate. When Ren didn't answer, Horohoro swallowed and said, "What was with that girl who served you? Does she know you or something?"

This time Ren reacted with a quick start. He didn't think Horohoro would have noticed her affronting behaviour. Without much thought he said, "What were you looking at her for?"

Horohoro blinked at the question. "Huh? I don't know…" An idea clicked in his mind, thinking that Ren's query was suggesting something else. A loopy grin crossed his features. "Well, she was pretty cute…"

Unexpectedly, Ren retorted rather loudly, "_Her? Cute?_ What about her is cute?" He heard his own voice and was surprised by the boldness of it. He looked about the room and again found his traveling companions staring at him. Overtaken by modesty, Ren began to properly eat, saving the daikon for last.

Sleeping turned out to be just as trying an event as mealtime. Ren would close his eyes and attempt to be lead away to dream, but his accumulated aggravation wouldn't have it. Eventually he gave up and stared up at the darkened ceiling while he mulled over that girl. Never had he met someone as outspoken and brash as her. The oddity of it taunted his mind. It was irritating. He would distract himself. Ren pulled aside the covers and rose from his futon.

Once out on the verandah, Bason appeared beside him. "Bocchama, what is the matter?" The spirit had observed the youth twisting in bed; and even before that he had noted his queer outbursts.

For a moment Ren was silent. He thought, How easily he was irked by that girl! He had been walking around the building and was now far off from his quarters. He wasn't sure where he was; he only heard a sound in the night air. It was soft and melodious… Curious, Ren treaded closer, and he heard words. Someone was singing in the middle of the night. What astonished him most however; was that the lyrics were in Chinese. He quickened his pace and stepped into the moonlight.

Before him was a garden, filled with flowers of numerous species and sizes. In the pale light they too seemed to be sleeping. Paths of smooth stones covered the landscape, and running through this was manmade brook. Arching over the water was a stone bridge, connecting the two parts of the garden; and it was on this that the source of the song was sitting.

It was a girl, and she was facing away from him, gazing up at the sky. Her long dark hair reached just above her waist, tied with a bow, and it brushed against the yukata of lavender and rose. The colours were so vivid compared to what the girls in the villages wore that Ren wondered if he had stumbled across the princess Miroku had been with earlier. The thought, '_Is_ he a pedophile…?' went though Ren's head despite himself. He continued to watch her sing, the moon acting as her spotlight.

Her voice thinned, and the song was over. It was only then that Ren realized he was still standing behind her, and how it might look like he was eavesdropping – which he sort of was, but he didn't want the girl to know that. He had barely made a move when she turned and saw him. Her startled expression was reflected in Ren's; for it was the girl he had met earlier during the day.

"Wha… What are you doing here!?" she spluttered.

Gathering his composure, Ren answered steadily, "I heard singing, so I came to see who it was."

The soft evening light she was bathed in made the reddening in her cheeks quite visible. "How… How long…?"

"What does it matter?"

She frowned and hissed, "It matters to me!" She stood and brushed at her clothing. Perhaps she was preparing to leave him.

While he had her, Ren asked, "That song… why was it in Chinese?"

The inquiry caused her to falter. When she looked up at him her expression was grave, making her appear a stranger.

It occurred to Ren that though he had encountered her so many times today, he knew next to nothing about her. "I am Tao Ren. What is your name?"

She twitched, but answered, "Nogami Meilin."

Ren immediately registered her given name as Chinese, and his spirit roused, growing intrigued. "I didn't know people from the mainland often came here."

The girl named Meilin almost shrugged, as though she didn't care if that were true or not. She only said, "My mother came here from there." After a moment of hesitation she added somberly, "The song you heard… was one she sang to me."

Her use of the past tense impressed itself upon Ren.

She saw the way he looked at her, and explained, "My parents were killed when our village was attacked. They protected me, and I escaped being slaughtered. The princess of this household found me unconscious on the road, so she took me in and gave me a home here. This is one of her old yukatas." For a moment she paused, then sullenly added, "… I hate what happened to my parents."

The word she used to describe how she felt stood out to Ren. It was a word he himself had used various times in the past. "… You may not believe this, but I have spiritual powers. Where I come from, a position known as the Shaman King is being determined in a tournament between shamans." His chest rose and his fists clenched. "I will become Shaman King, and end this cycle of hate so none will suffer from it."

During his declaration Meilin had looked up at him. Her expression now seemed to show that these were the queerest words she'd ever heard. "… How can you possibly do that?"

"The Shaman King can shape the world however he wishes, thanks to the Great Spirit."

Meilin looked doubtful. "You're crazy… no one can stop people from hating, from fighting…"

"The Shaman King can…" Ren stepped closer to the water. "And _I_ will put an end to it."

It might have seemed rash for Ren to say such a thing so easily, but not once did his appearance weaken when he spoke. Perhaps because of this, Meilin allowed herself to believe him, just a little. To an outsider, the boy and girl would have appeared to be a knight swearing his vow to his princess.

- - -

"Those were a lot of youkai." Ryu pulled at his shirt collar with his index finger. Battling had worked up a sweat.

"It was," Kagome agreed. She replaced the arrow she had drawn into her quiver, gazing at the fallen bodies of the demons. "Strange though… we've never had to face this many before."

"Tch, it must be because Naraku's been lying low," sniffed Inuyasha. "All these youkai think they can have their run of the place."

Yoh held up the katana Miaka's father had given him (or rather she forced him to give) as thanks for reuniting her with Keitaro one last time. "This has really come in handy lately."

"Th-Thank goodness you and Amidamaru got a weapon." Manta was shaking next to a nearby tree. By now the Oyamada boy had grown used to being around ghosts, but now he had to adapt to facing demons – demons which had a very physical presence.

Shippo glanced at him. "Hey now, you've been here for a while. It's time you get used to the environment."

Manta's eyes narrowed. "Is that why you were screaming when that one youkai was chasing after you?"

"Sh-Shut up!"

Anna surveyed the remains of demons whose forms had been cut down. They were split, bleeding, gaping… It made her grimace.

Then she tensed, sensing quick, incessant rustles shuddering in the forest behind them. She turned and kicked Manta hard into Shippo, sending them flying into Yoh's arms, and leapt back, narrowly escaping being flattened into the ground by a charging demon. The beast turned on her, and her eyes widened. 'An… oni?'

It staggered upright, pointed horns and teeth protruding from its head. A growl burbled from its mouth as the oni raised an arm to strike her. Then it howled when the same arm was separated from its torso, and again as its body was torn by a diagonal slash. The oni fell with a heavy thud, silenced.

"Hey…" Inuyasha shouldered Tessaiga. "Are you okay?" He expected her to come back at him with a callous reply.

Anna didn't turn to him when she said, "… Yes… thank you."

"Uh – hah?" His mouth hung open in shock.

"Are those dopey dog ears of yours failing you? Don't make me repeat myself."

"_What!?_" Inuyasha's momentary lapse of confusion was replaced by yet another dose of rage.

Kagome took on the role of peacekeeper, coming between them to point out how late it was and that they should set up camp for the night. Inuyasha made a grumbled sound in response.

- - -

No matter what time of the day it is, there is always time to be sneaky. Horohoro thought something was up when Ren excused himself after breakfast to leave the others. So he trailed him, and it led the Ainu to an unexpected discovery.

"What is this?" Horohoro frantically whispered to himself. "I've never seen Ren with a girl like this before…" He gasped. "Could it be… does he have a girlfriend!?"

"That is a possibility, isn't it?"

"Gyah! Where'd you come from!?" Horohoro lurched away from Miroku, who was crouched behind him.

"I was just passing by." The monk placed an intrigued hand beneath his chin. "Who would have thought that Ren would encounter someone like this?"

Horohoro frowned at him and hissed, "What are you doing here anyway? What happened to that princess from yesterday?"

"Ah… Well, it seems she doesn't have time for –"

"She rejected you, huh? Serves you right." Horohoro sat back and folded his arms. "Why don't you tell Sango nothing happened? She's been in a bad mood about it since yesterday."

Miroku looked up at him with a raised brow. "Is that so?"

"Hm…" Horohoro closed his eyes. "Maybe it's not that obvious since Lyserg's always with her."

"Ah, yes…"

"I don't get you two." He opened his eyes to cast a glance at Ren and Meilin. "If you just say – ack! Where'd they go?" He whirled to look behind him. "Ah! He's gone too!?"

- - -

"That idiot… did he really think I didn't know he was there?" Ren muttered as he and Meilin distanced themselves from Horohoro.

"You mean that blue-haired boy?"

Ren raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

"He seems like the type," she nonchalantly replied. They walked a little further in silence before Meilin spoke again. "Your group has only one girl traveling with you?"

"There are two more, but they're with the other group."

"Hmm… do you like any of them?"

He turned to look at her, bewildered by her query. "Huh? What kind of question is that to ask?"

"It's normal to ask that at our age."

"Is that so…" Ren's tone implied he wasn't really that interested. "Do you?"

"Eh? Well no…" She cast her gaze to the side. "I haven't met anyone like that."

The beginning of a momentary lapse in conversation was interrupted by a clear female voice ringing out Meilin's name. An adolescent girl a few years older than Meilin was running toward them, holding the hem of her ginger kimono up. Judging by her kimono and the headdress pinned into her dark tresses, Ren guessed she was the princess of the estate.

"Mei~li~n~!" She stopped in front of the pair and peered at them, her lips curving into a sly grin. "Hehhh… when you said you were going to take today off I didn't know it was because of a boy."

Meilin sighed and closed her eyes. "You're getting the wrong idea, Natsuki."

"Oh? Well at least he doesn't seem like that houshi." The princess flicked her wrist in the air. "I already told him to go away but then he comes by himself just to say that he and his friends will be leaving today."

"I think you're reading too much into it," replied Meilin.

"Maybe, but what kind of person asks someone they hardly know to bear their child?"

When she heard this, Meilin's expression was sparked by astonishment.

"Anyway, I won't keep you." She looked at Ren. "I'm going to see your other companions before you all go. See you!" The princess skipped off to find the others, waving back at the pair as she left.

Though she was supposed to hold a form of nobility, Ren thought the princess certainly did not seem to act like she did. "Hm… I can see where you get lividness."

Meilin cut her gaze sideways at him. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

- - -

"Ahhh… it's too early…" Yoh complained without reservation. It was a beautiful clear day, which any other time Yoh would have noticed. He was sitting with the others having something to eat after just waking up.

"What are you talking about?" Shippo said. "It's nearly noon."

"But we were up so late last night…" Yoh closed his eyes and hunched over. "I wanted to sleep in some more."

Anna prodded him in the arm with her elbow, a sign that either she was annoyed with his complaining or warning him to stop acting unseemly in front of them. Either way he straightened up and started eating the fish that had been propped by the fire.

"I know what you mean, Yoh-kun," Manta sympathetically said. "It's like when I pull the occasional all-nighter before having to go to school the next day."

"Yeah, I do that too," admitted Kagome.

Ryu dramatically began saying, "Danna, I also know how you feel – it's like when I go bowling late at night with the guys and don't stop until morning!"

Manta flapped a hand at him. "That's kind of different, Ryu-san."

Kagome looked at Yoh, whose lolloping head seemed to be in danger of getting poked by the stick he was holding. Deciding that keeping a conversation going with him would have him stay alert, she asked Yoh about his family.

He didn't seem very interested in the topic, but he obligingly answered her. "Well, I don't see my dad very often. He's always away on a training journey. I live with my grandpa and mom. Mom's a miko."

Kagome's eyes widened with interest. "Wow, so there _are_ miko's in the present."

"Everyone in my family had spiritual abilities of some kind."

"Hmm… maybe I could learn something from her…" Kagome thoughtfully turned to the girl sitting next to him. "Is it the same with your family, Anna-chan?"

Yoh carefully glanced at his fiancée.

Without so much as the faintest waver in her cool exterior, Anna calmly replied, "My family is Yoh's family."

Kagome blinked. If she was giving such an answer then there must be darkness in her past she didn't wish to reveal. Kagome exchanged a look with Shippo, who had been listening to the conversation and shared similar feelings.

Inuyasha was watching Anna from above his cup of instant ramen. The itako caught his stare and he flinched.

"You're a hanyou," she said. "It must be hard for you to fit in and be accepted by either humans or demons. Those feelings of isolation and rejection also come to those with spiritual powers, when they are among regular human beings."

Inuyasha swallowed. It almost sounded like she had shown empathy for him. It also sounded like there was more to her than he thought…

"Well," she briskly continued, "you have friends and a girlfriend or two now so it must not matter as much."

"Girlfriend?" The unfamiliar word twiddled his brain.

"_Two?_" Kagome indignantly huffed, the chopsticks in her hand nearly punching a hole through the styrofoam cup. She cut her eyes across at Inuyasha.

"H-Hey, what are you looking at me like that for? She's the one who said –"

"Osuwari!"

"Gaakkk!" BAM!

Shippo bit off another piece of his biscuit. "This is turning out to be a pretty good meal."

- - -

"Hello~!"

Lyserg and Sango jumped at the abrupt greeting. They had been minding their own business in their room, talking while preparing to leave, when the princess hopped into the doorway with a smile lighting her face.

"Whoops, excuse me; didn't mean to startle you." She swept into the room, hardly looking apologetic. "I came to wish you well on your journey."

Sango tilted her head away as if to scorn her. "You aren't going to do that at the gates?"

Natsuki breezily crossed the room, taking in their quarters and scattered belongings. "I would, but I have some other matters to see to."

"Well, thank you for seeing us then." Her voice must have sounded stiff, because the princess paused to look at her with considering eyes.

"Why so hostile?" she innocently queried.

Sango twitched. "Excuse me?"

The princess stepped closer. She knelt before Sango and squinted at her, and Sango uneasily leant back. After a second Natsuki's face brightened and she was grinning. "Oh, I see… you have something with the houshi."

"W-What? Of course I don't."

Natsuki shook her head. "You needn't be concerned. I'm not interested." She raised her eyes and offered Sango a sly look. "I think you're far more interesting."

Sango's eyes went wide and she spluttered. "E-Eh?"

After only observing the discourse between the two women, Lyserg finally thought it appropriate to speak himself. "Ah, we appreciate you coming to see us Hime-sama, but we really must return to packing if we wish to leave on time."

"Oh, of course!" Natsuki rose from the floor, the sleeves of her kimono stirring the air. "Perish the thought of me being the reason for you having to prolong your stay." She gave Sango another once over before leaving them to their arrangements.

For a moment they were quiet once Natsuki had left. Then Lyserg turned to Sango and said, "Don't worry, Sango-san. I won't tell anyone what just happened."

Sango sighed and shook her head in disbelief and shock. It seemed she had an altogether different reason to be concerned about the princess.

- - -

'What… I thought she had "other matters to see to"??' Sango was vigilantly eyeing the princess standing in front of her herself and her comrades.

"Thank you for your services," Natsuki kindly said to the group.

Miroku resisted the urge to say something about the other services he was willing to offer her. "Ah, think nothing of it, Hime-sama. If you ever need our services again, don't hesitate to ask."

"How is she supposed to do that when we're traveling?" Horohoro muttered.

The logic didn't seem to reach either Miroku or Natsuki.

"Oh, that would be lovely." The princess shifted her gaze to Sango, which the taiji-ya chose to ignore and turned away.

Lyserg whispered to her, "Don't worry, she's probably just like Ryu-san."

"How is that supposed to not worry me?" she urgently whispered back.

Next to Natsuki stood Meilin, and although her gaze was on the group as whole, her eyes focused on Ren. She wasn't broken up about him leaving, but there was a touch of gentleness to her neutral expression. "Good luck on your journey."

He nodded.

Horohoro was bitter. '… Must… get… girlfriend!'

* * *

A/N: The major issue I've having with this story is I have no clue what to get Yoh's group to do. I have a couple of events set for Ren's team (oh, look how I'm designating them) but I don't know what Yoh and the others should do in the meantime. I'll have to get that sorted out for the next couple of chapters.


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